APJ Abdul Kalam to join as visiting faculty at IIM Shillong

In the presence of the renowned scientist, RGIIM director Keya Sengupta on Wednesday announced that Kalam would be a visiting faculty on the subject of Societal Transformation with Technology and its Application.

"A wave of frenzied excitement went through the assembled students (after the announcement)," a spokesperson of the institute said.

Kalam was in Shillong to inaugurate SUSCON, the third annual international sustainability conference of IIM Shillong, and delivered his address on PURA (Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas), a sustainable development system.

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam

"India's core competencies majorly lie in the sectors of agriculture and food processing, education and healthcare, information and communication technology, reliable and quality electric power, surface transport and infrastructure for all parts of the country and self-reliance in critical technologies.

"If these five areas progress in a coordinated way, it will lead to food, economic and national security and help in achieving energy independence," Kalam said in his address.

To bring about sustainable development, PURA requires various levels of connectivity which has to be customised according to local competencies and needs, he said.

Kalam also spoke about three of his dreams which have taken shape as "vision, mission and realisation."

The three were the space programme of the Indian Space Research Organisation, AGNI programme of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the PURA.
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