PM Modi: Education will be the new medium of India’s engagement with Southeast Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged IIT-Guwahati to establish centres for Indian knowledge systems and of disaster management, adding that education will become a new medium of India’s engagement with Southeast Asia.

IIT-Guwahati held its 22nd convocation ceremony on Tuesday. Addressing the occasion via video-conferencing, Modi said, “I believe that through a modern and scientific process, we can turn cultural knowledge, skills and beliefs into rich and cutting edge professional development programmes. I suggest that IIT-Guwahati plays an important role in this …. Through this, we can contribute invaluably to the northeast, India and the world.”

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Modi emphasised on the northeast’s significance in the country’s foreign affairs. “The northeast is the centre for India’s Act East Policy. It is also the gateway to India’s relations with Southeast Asia… Now, education will become a new medium of our engagement,” Modi said.

Bringing up NEP 2020, he said it allows foreign universities to set up offshore campuses in India, giving Indian students global exposure. He said NEP was “meant for the needs of the 21st century” and would make India “a global leader in science and technology”.