Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma attended the 19th Foundation Day cum Annual College Week celebrations of the College of Community Science, Tura, yesterday.
The college is part of the Central Agricultural University, Imphal, and Sangma recalled how his father, the late Purno A Sangma, had been instrumental in bringing the college to Tura.
He also expressed his gratitude to past faculty and students for their valuable contribution towards the progress of the college.
Stating that the contributions of such institutions go beyond education alone, the CM said that research and innovation are the core part of any institute where different stakeholders work together towards success. He also advised that after research and innovation, the products made in the college need to be commercialised, manufactured and scaled up so that they reach the public in collaboration with entrepreneurs and businesses.
The college connects to villages where local products are made and can lead to an economic revolution, Sangma opined.
Furthermore, in order to go beyond producing graduates from the institution and create maximum impact in peoples’ lives, especially at the grassroots, the Chief Minister assured financial support and suggested starting pilot projects with entrepreneurs and students in the initial stage.
The guest of honour was Tura MP Agatha Sangma, who spoke about how the college has grown from its past iteration as the College of Home Science.
CAU Imphal Vice-Chancellor Anupam Mishra thanked the Meghalaya government for its continuous support by providing technology support for Mission Jackfruit and expressed a hope that the faculty will bring in more success stories with maximum benefit to the people of the region.
During the function, the Tura MP distributed prizes to the Best House, Best Performer of the Annual College Week and also distributed certificates to students who had recently attended a training course in textiles in Thailand.
