Agnihotri bats for drone, robotics push at tech fest

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Saturday called upon faculty and students of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Una, to step up work in drone technology and robotics, saying their relevance was clearly underlined during Operation Sindoor.

Speaking as the chief guest at "Meraki-26", the three-day annual technology fest of the institute, Agnihotri said drones would play a critical role in the coming years in areas such as national security, disaster management and other key sectors. He lauded IIIT Una's initiative to conduct skill-development courses for 1,000 youth from the Una-Haroli region at an estimated cost of about Rs 1 crore, terming it a significant step towards creating employment and opportunities for local youth.

The Deputy CM also welcomed the introduction of the MSc mathematics programme at the institute, saying it would strengthen the academic ecosystem. He released the institute magazine, Pragati Parimal, and unveiled the logo of Meraki-2026. Stressing the importance of technology fairs, Agnihotri said such platforms help nurture innovation, creativity and leadership, adding that the state government was committed to building a strong digital ecosystem.

Earlier, in his presence, IIIT-Una signed three MoUs with CSIR-CSIO Chandigarh, Sardar Beant Singh State University, Gurdaspur, and Siddhartha Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, to boost academic and research collaboration.