Food production, healthcare key challenges for country: Ansari

Food production and healthcare will remain the key challenges for the country aspiring high economic growth, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari said here today.
Finding outdated syllabus and poor infrastructure in technical education institutions as one of the challenges faced by the country's higher education system, Ansari stressed upon making the students required resources available in order to make them employable.
"As we move forward on the path of high economic growth, growth of sustainable, green solutions in the field of water treatment, food production and healthcare will remain the key challenges," Ansari said in his address at the inauguration of the 67th Annual Session of the Chemical Engineering Congress (CHEMCON) at Panjab University here.

It was organised by the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers.
"Chemical engineers will have to contribute in bringing about the necessary advances in food industry, alternative energy systems, semiconductor manufacturing, and environmental modelling and remediation to make our growth sustainable.
"These vital areas should be the priority for research and development in the field of chemical engineering," Ansari said .

Noting that chemical engineers are known for their resourcefulness given the breadth of their scientific and technical knowledge, Ansari, who is the Chancellor of Panjab University, expressed confidence that they would keep up their "good work" and contribute towards country's development agenda.

"I am confident that our engineers will continue their good work and keep making their deeply valued contribution to our development agenda," he said.
He noted that it was essential to attract "best minds" amongst youth in order to see the chemical engineering flourish in the country.
"Given the challenges, in terms of outdated syllabus, lack of faculty, poor infrastructure etc, confronting our higher education system, especially the technical education institutions, it is important to make available to the students the best possible environment and required resources for their education.
"This is essential in order to make them employable by endowing them with the necessary tools and knowledge for their future professional careers," he stressed.