President Pranab Mukherjee will meet teachers, grassroots innovators and students during his two-day visit to Tripura beginning Thursday to motivate them to keep up their good work, officials said here Thursday.
"During his two-day tour in Tripura, the president will meet nine selected 'inspiring teachers' of Tripura University. He will also meet the innovators who have developed tools to help the people of the state," a top official of the Tripura Central University told IANS.
To motivate teachers, grassroots innovators and bright students is the personal initiative of the president, added the official who did not wish to be named.
The nine "inspiring teachers" of different subjects were selected through secret votes by the varsity's students and teachers as per the president's wish.
"The president would also unveil an innovation club at the university to boost research work aimed at benefiting those living in rural areas," the official added.
Mukherjee, who arrived here Thursday on a two-day visit to the Left Front ruled Tripura, will address the convocation of Tripura University and the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala.
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Besides, he will inaugurate the first unit of 726 MW gas-based power plant Friday. The Rs.10,000-crore power project has been set up by ONGC-Tripura Power Company (OTPC) Ltd. at Palatana in southern Tripura, 60 km south of here.
"Some technical models developed by the students of NIT Agartala will be showcased before the president. He (the president) will also interact with the students about their innovations," NIT director Probir Kumar Bose told IANS.
The NIT Agartala is ranked at the 10th position among the 30 NITs in India, and has also been conferred with the status of 'Institute of National Importance' by the union ministry of human resource development.
Bose said that NIT Agartala is the first such institute in India which has set up nursery schools. The institute has also started five special schools, including school of automotive engineering, hydro informatics, seismic science and engineering.
These schools are offering M.Tech and Ph.D programmes and are playing important role in the research field.
Bose said the president would inaugurate a sports complex at the NIT Agartala on Friday. The Rs.54 crore facility has two modern swimming pools, a gymnasium, a 400-metre running track, and football and cricket grounds.