President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday asked the NITs to get more involved with society and suggested they closely work with villages to transform them.
Inaugurating a two-day conference of directors of the National Institute of Technology, Mukherjee said: "NITs should start working with at least one village each in order to transform them into model villages. Your work must find resonance with the needs and aspirations of our people."
"I call upon all NITs to deepen and broadbase their involvement with society. We have to find solutions to ensure that every seat in the NITs is optimally utilized," he said.
"Our engineers and scientists must be equipped to address new-age problems with new-age answers. Economic growth and educational progress share a symbiotic relationship," he said.
The president added that NITs should be the connecting force between "rural innovations, local employment and world class manufacturing".
"The role of NITs becomes even more critical in view of the 'Make in India' and the 'Digital India' initiatives," he added.