Remarks by H.E. Mr. Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi, Ambassador of India to Thailand

at the Engineering Student Talent Award 2017

at Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT) on 3 June 2017 

Dr Pathom Sawanpanyalert, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science & Technology of Thailand,

Associate Professor Dr.  Sommai Prasert Pinpathomrat, Vice President, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi

Dr. Manindra Agrawal, Deputy Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur;

Mr. Raj Khimesra- President, IIT Alumni Association of Thailand,

Members of the Association, faculty members of Rajamangala University of Technology and participants of the Engineering Student Talent Award 2017

Ladies & Gentlemen, 

A very good afternoon to all of you! 

It gives me immense pleasure to be here today to celebrate the sixth edition of the Engineering Student Talent Award.  This award is the flagship endeavour of the IIT Alumni Association of Thailand. 

The IITs are the premier engineering institutions of India.  They are globally acclaimed for their high standards of education and research.  They are, in fact, globally synonymous with Indian excellence in academics in the corporate world of today.  Warren Buffet, the second richest man in the United States, recently revealed that Bill Gates had once told him that if he had to hire students from only one institution in the world, he would do so from the IITs.  It is, therefore, a matter of deep satisfaction that there are a number of IIT graduates in Thailand and that they event have an association of their own.  

The theme of ESTA 2017 – ‘Thailand 4.0 through Creative Thinking & Innovation’ is indeed a very thoughtful one.  Thailand 4.0 aims to transform the current economy into a knowledge-based one, with greater emphasis on research and development, science & technology, creative thinking, and innovation.  The establishment of the Engineering Science Talent Award by the IIT Association of Thailand some years ago shows their foresight.  For Thailand, as for India and all other countries, movement to the next stage of economic development is only possible by encouraging students and the youth to think creatively and to invent and innovate.  This award aims to do exactly that and I congratulate the Association for their vision and also for their readiness to contribute to Thailand’s own plans for growth and development.  

I am happy that the Embassy is associated with this Award.  We will, as in previous years, include the winner and runner up for 2017 in the next ASEAN-India Student Exchange Programme.  This will provide them an opportunity to visit India and tour some of the best educational institutions there. 

Cooperation between India and Thailand in the field of science and technology has increased significantly in the recent years. During the visit of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to India last year, both countries agreed to further enhance bilateral cooperation by bolstering Research and Development, through innovation partnerships among research institutions.  This will, in future, include start-ups in software and information technology, biotechnology, life sciences and other areas of mutual interest. India has also offered Thailand the indigenously developed GPS-aided navigation system, or GAGAN. The activities of the IIT Association of Thailand are therefore, it can be seen, very clearly aligned with the priorities for bilateral cooperation.  

I will take this opportunity to add my own words of welcome to the Keynote Speaker for today, Dr. Manindra Agrawal, Deputy Director & N. Rama Rao, Chair in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur. Dr. Agarwal has been bestowed with several global and Indian awards. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian awards.  We are indeed honoured by his presence here today. 

I need to acknowledge on this occasion that the members of the IIT Alumni Association are brand Ambassadors for India.  Through their contribution to Thailand as technocrats, bankers, entrepreneurs and academicians they earn goodwill and respect for India.  In this way, they contribute to the further consolidation of the relationship between our two countries.

I congratulate the winners and participants of the competition.  They have done themselves, their teachers, parents and Universities proud.  Their hard work, discipline and love of learning is most commendable.  I wish them all further success and have no doubt that Thailand’s future is in very capable hands and minds.

In conclusion, I wish to say to the Rajamangala University of Technology that I am happy to see this association between the University and Indians living in Thailand.  We in the Embassy would be happy to facilitate and assist the University in any way that we can in building further collaboration between them and institutions of learning in India.

I thank you all.

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