Recent
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Hole in the Wall
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Culture and a "Hole in the Wall"
NIIT Chief Scientist Dr Sugata Mitra receives Dewang Mehta Award for Innovation in IT
New Delhi, April 12, 2005: Eminent computer expert and NIIT Chief Scientist Dr Sugata Mitra today received the Dewang Mehta Award for Innovation in Information Technology from India’s Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran.
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Minimally Invasive Education Experiment |
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The award instituted by Department of Information Technology was conferred upon Dr Mitra for his pinnacle achievement -- the discovery of the pedagogy, science and technology of Minimally Invasive Education.
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| Union Minister of Communications
and Information Technology, India, Mr Dayanidhi Maran presenting the Dewang
Mehta Award for Innovation in Information Technology to NIIT Chief Scientist
Dr Sugata Mitra |
Video
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In 2001, the Department of Information Technology instituted this award as a tribute to the IT evangelist Mr Dewang Mehta. The prestigious ‘Dewang Mehta Award for innovation in IT’ is presented to individuals from technology sectors whose innovative work has the potential of making an impact on the national development or brings fame to the country.
Also present at the award ceremony were Mr Brijesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Mr Saurabh Srivastava and Mr Phiroz Vandrevala, both Past Chairman Executive Committee Member of Nasscom.
Expressing his happiness on getting this prestigious award, Dr Sugata Mitra, Chief Scientist NIIT said, “The Hole-in-the-Wall experiment has the potential to bring computer literacy to millions of Indians across the land. I dream of an India where, as companies move to the rural interiors, they already find a ready workforce.”
Wishing that Dr Mitra’s dream becomes a reality, the Indian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran said, “I congratulate Dr Sugata Mitra and express the appreciation of the Government for his contribution in making the Indian IT sector a vibrant and shining one.”
“The Award will become widely recognised as a single most important indicator of quality, reliability and innovation,” he added.
The purpose of this award is to encourage the industry to strive for excellence. The Government wants to recognise the outstanding achievements of the companies, and set before the rest of the industry examples of excellence that can be emulated and improved upon, the Minister said.
Talking about the challenges of the Indian IT industry, Mr Maran said, “The ICT manpower development issue will need the Government’s complete backing. India’s English-educated, highly skilled professionals with requisite domain knowledge are the Indian IT-ITES industry’s greatest asset and will continue to remain one of the key factors driving this industry in the years to come.”
The other important area that requires India’s undivided attention is that of Innovation. Going forward, I see Innovation as a key differentiator for the IT-ITES industry, a positive that will finally place a larger number of Indian ICT companies in the billion dollar space and among the Tier 1 global ICT leaders, he observed.
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| Dr Sugata Mitra with his team at the award function |
About Dr Sugata Mitra
A long time teacher and a scientist of international repute, Dr Mitra has over
25 inventions and first-time applications, in the areas of Cognitive Science,
Information Science and Educational Technology, to his credit.
Known all over the world for his Hole-in-the-wall experiment that provides Internet access and uses Minimally Invasive methodology to teach Computers to young children, Dr Mitra is also the winner of “Man for Peace Award” from US-based “Together for Peace Foundation” and “Social Innovation Award” from the UK based think tank, Institute for Social Inventions. He is also the Fellow of the World Technology Network and a Member of the New York Academy of Sciences.
About NIIT Centre for Research in Cognitive Systems
(CRCS)
NIIT's Centre for Research in Cognitive Systems (CRCS),
a dedicated R&D Centre located at IIT Delhi, has been involved in pioneering
research in order to come up with innovative methods of training as well as
developing systems, devices and software. CRCS created the Handy Audio
Replay Kit (HARK), a transmitted audio visitor guidance technology
and Web Appliance for Remote Presence (WARP), a remote telerobotic
webcam system for tourists. These systems are currently in use at the Qutab
Minar and the Ramakrishna Mission in Delhi, the Char Minar in Hyderabad, Bodh
Gaya in Bihar and Belur near Bangalore.
NIIT has filed patent for Software Engineering Tools (SETS), the world’s first, evolutionary full life-cycle software application delivery over the net. At the moment CRCS has 16 patents pending. In the electronics sector CRCS has the highest number of electronic patents at this point of time in India.
NIIT’s CRCS is the hub where state-of-the-art training methodologies
and cutting edge IT learning strategies are being forged. These span areas such
as Computer Careers, Edutainment, Cyberspace, Virtual Reality, Adaptive Systems,
Cognitive
Interfaces and Personality Storage Technologies and give the company its unassailable
lead in the market.
Besides the Minimally Invasive Education Technology, NIIT’s vibrant research programs have helped create some of the most comprehensive course material and educational content, making its offerings in the educational niche contemporary and IT industry relevant. These have led to the creation of high quality, skilled IT professionals that are helping global corporations enhance their efficiency and productivity.
For media queries, please contact:
Sanjiv Kataria, NIIT Limited., Ph: +91 11 26482054, Fax: +91 11 26203386; Email:
sanjivk@niit.com