Climate change a big challenge, disaster resilient infra need of hour: Modi at IIT(K) convocation

Kharagpur, February 23

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said climate change and the resultant natural disasters posed a huge challenge to the world and asked the IITs to help develop disaster-resilient infrastructure that could withstand their effects.

He said India presented to the world its concept of International Solar Alliance for safe, affordable and environment-friendly energy.

Addressing the 66th convocation of IIT (Kharagpur), Modi referred to the global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), which he announced at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019.

"Climate change is a major challenge before the world. India drew the attention of the world to the issue of disaster management. You can see what happened recently in Uttarakhand. We should focus on improving disaster-resilient infrastructure that can withstand natural disasters," he said.

The CDRI envisages partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks, financing mechanisms, private sector, and knowledge institutions to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks to ensure sustainable development.

He hailed the role played by the IITs in developing technology to battle Covid, saying the hallowed institutes should now work fast on finding futuristic solutions to other health care problems.

"You represent the aspirations of 130 crore people of India," he said while addressing the convocation virtually.

Noting that the needs and aspirations of the 21st century India had changed, Modi said IITs also needed to transform from being just Indian Institutes of Technology to Institutes of Indigenous Technologies.

"You have to become startups to bring about a change in the lives of people. You have to work on Self 3 - self-awareness, self-confidence and selflessness. You should recognise your potential and move forward, move ahead with full confidence, move ahead with selflessness," he told the students. PTI

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