Telangana needs to be a global growth engine, and JNTU will power it, says Bhatti

Telangana needs to be a global growth engine, and JNTU is the one that drives that engine forward in the State’s roadmap of ‘Telangana Rising 2047’ vision, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said on Friday.

Addressing the inaugural of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations here, he described the institute as a ‘sacred place’ and ‘not just a university but a national asset’ that produced lakhs of engineers.

“If a stone is thrown in Silicon Valley, it will fall on an IITian or a JNTU alumni,” he quipped, and added that the list of alumni, from ISRO to Google, from DRDO to Tesla, from public sector leadership to deep-tech startups, is like a hall-of-fame.

He remembered some of the distinguished alumni – G. Satish Reddy (DRDO), Tessie Thomas (Aeronautical Systems, DRDO), Avinash Chander (DRDO), Mahender Reddy (former Telangana DGP), and others – the “thousands of engineers who are silently participating in the construction of the nation.”

The JNTU, which began as Nagarjuna Sagar Engineering College in 1965, is one of the first technical universities in the country, and now runs on a 100-acre campus in Kukatpally. Presently, 215 colleges and about 3.5 lakh students are part of JNTUs affiliation.

According to Mr. Vikramarka, the institute has always offered support to the government’s goal of making the State an innovation hub through transparent entrance exams, ethical guidance to affiliated colleges, and honest education.

The State government, he reiterated, is on a mission to modernise technical education with Young India Skills University, upgrading ITIs to Advanced Training Centers, and preparing the youth for the industry 4.0 era. Informing about the progress, he said the government is on par with JNTU, building a Bharat Skill University.

He assured that issues concerning JNTU, such as the land lease issue, leasing rent, property tax exemption, and infrastructure renovation with an outlay of ₹800 crore, will be addressed.

He advised students to dream boldly and innovate without fear, and aim to become job creators rather than seeking jobs. He also warned them against overindulgence in mobile phone scrolling and urged students to stay close to books, labs, mentors, and opportunities.

By 2027, over a thousand unicorn startups would grow in India, and the State of Telangana is ready to become the main centre of this revolution, Mr. Vikramarka said, expressing confidence.

He also suggested that core engineering branches should be strengthened along with new technologies, with reforms in curriculum, internships, industry partnerships, and multi-disciplinary learning.

Advisor (Public Affairs) K. Kesava Rao, Vice-Chancellor T. Kishen Kumar Reddy, TGCHE Chairman V. Balakista Reddy, Rector Vijaya Kumar, Registrar K. Venkateswara Rao, and others were present.