The training program was conducted by IIT Guwahati in collaboration with the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).

Broader impact

IIT Guwahati director Prof Devendra Jalihal highlighted broader impact of this initiative.

We are proud to partner with IRS to drive innovation and capability development in these fields, he said.

Program

The program was conducted at the Neel Diving Academy in Kochi, where trainers from both IRS and TIH IIT Guwahati delivered comprehensive theoretical and practical sessions.

Participants engaged in rigorous underwater welding exercises and underwent a series of technical evaluations. The quality and safety of their work samples were assessed against stringent standards, following which participants were certified for their proficiency in underwater welding, say sources from IIT Guwahati.

This certification program aligns with the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) by building local expertise in underwater wet welding—a skill crucial for maintaining India’s offshore and maritime infrastructure, he said.

Workforce

Dr. Asokendu Samanta, Divisional Head of R&D at IRS, added, this program equips the workforce with vital underwater wet welding and deep diving skills, which are essential for maintaining India’s oil, gas, and shipping infrastructure.

Commitment

IIT Guwahati is committed to nurturing talent and empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to make meaningful contributions to the nation’s progress.

Through initiatives like this, the institute not only addresses critical industry needs but also contributes to the holistic growth and development of India’s workforce.

IIT Guwahati has retained the 7th position among the best engineering institutions of the country, 9th position in ‘Overall’ and 10^th position in ‘Research’ Categories in the ‘India Rankings 2024’ declared by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of the Union Ministry of Education.

IITG has achieved rank 87 in the SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2024 and is the only academic institution in India that occupied a place among the top 100 world universities – under 50 years of age – ranked by London-based Times Higher Education (THE) in 2014 and continues to maintain its superior position even today in various International Rankings.

IIT Guwahati gained rank 32 globally in the ‘Research Citations per Faculty’ category and overall 344 rank in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

Among other frontier areas of research and innovation, IIT Guwahati is working towards augmenting critical science research initiatives in Genomics, Developmental Biology, Health Care and Bioinformatics and Flexible Electronics, among numerous other areas.

Also, IIT Guwahati ranks 6th globally in Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy) of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023. IIT Guwahati has been also ranked 2nd in the ‘Swachhata Ranking’ conducted by the Govt. of India.

Also Read – IIT Guwahati researchers develop great sustainable method for Ammonium removal

The inauguration of the three day event was held at the institution’s premises on 17 November 2024, it will go on till 20 November 2024.

Chief guest

Eminent personalities to attend the event at Sharda Universities were Professor Ramji Prasad, Founder Director of CTIF and Founding President of GISFI, SK Marwah, Scientist-G and Group Coordinator of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Sharda University Pro Chancellor YK Gupta, and Vice Chancellor of Sharda University Dr. Sibarama Khara were also among those present at the program.

Dr Sibarama Khara lit the ceremonial lamp as a mark of commencement of the program.

Progress

S K Marwah, Scientist-G and Group Coordinator, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said that India is progressing beyond the deployment of 5G technology and is now moving towards the creation and establishment of its faster and more advanced successor: the 6G telecommunications network.

The 6G technology innovation group, TIG-6G, has developed India’s 6G Vision, a strategy aimed at creating 6G technology in India by 2030, he said during the symposium at Sharda University.

This vision aims to design and deploy a 6G network that is secure, intelligent, and offers widespread connectivity, allowing people worldwide to live ever better lives, he said.

The vision statement emphasizes India’s commitment to socio-economic prosperity and highlights the potential benefits of India’s leading 6G technology, which will enable ultra-low latency and speeds up to 1 terabit per second. This could be a game-changer for the Indian economy, he said.

Experts shared their thoughts on innovations related to Wireless Personal Multimedia Communication and Secure 6G – AI Nexus.

India is expected to file around 10 patents related to 6G technology, which will be highly beneficial for the Indian economy, he said.

Pro Chancellor of Sharda University

Sharda University Pro Chancellor Y K Gupta emphasized that the 6G network would be able to utilize higher frequencies compared to 5G, offering much greater capacity and very low latency.

He stated that 6G would demonstrate the emergence of simple, convenient, and easy-to-carry devices with vast digital capabilities, said Sharda University Pro Chancellor.

This will help advance rural ecosystems with minimal or no need for equipment on-site for paramedical staff, teachers, agricultural technicians, doctors, professors, and agricultural experts, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 6G Vision document for India, presented by the government, aims to position India as a leading contributor to the design, development, and implementation of 6G technology by 2030. Many countries view India as a promising destination for investment in the 6G technology sector, said Sharda University Pro Chancellor.

Sharda University Pro Vice Chancellor Dr Parmanand, Registrar Dr. Vivek Gupta, Dean of Research Dr. Bhupnesh Kumar, Dr. Pallavi Gupta, Dr. Amit Sehgal, Director of Admissions Dr. Rajeev Gupta, Dr. RC Singh, Director of PR Dr. Ajit Kumar, along with deans and HODs from various departments also took part in the event.

The institution has a strong focus on providing world class education to the students, who arrive at the institution in great numbers every year to study various courses.

The dynamic management of Sharda University has taken giant strides in promoting the scientific methodologies for career selection among the youth via its highly successful career counseling program.

Vision of this institution is to serve the society by being a global University of higher learning in pursuit of academic excellence, innovation and nurturing entrepreneurship.

Organization aims to create high-quality and flexible collaborative research space and culture that enable and promote knowledge creation.

It also desires to encourage involvement of students in research and also strengthen entrepreneurial and innovation culture among students.

The organization also encourages students to become lifelong learners and imbibe essential skills to serve the society at the highest level.

Also Read – Sharda University launches great mobile dental van facility