NTPC sets up ICT centre in Gauhati university

State-owned power major NTPC today announced that it has started an Information Technology Centre (ICT) at the Department of Disability Studies in Gauhati University. The aim behind this training centre is to encourage students with disability to pursue higher education in the field of science and technology, the power firm said in a statement here. "It is a memorable day as this centre shall help differently abled students to pursue higher education in science and technology," Assam's power minister Mr Pradyut Bordoloi said while inaugurating the centre yesterday. Mr Bordoloi said the ICT centre would serve physically challenged students of our society helping them in capacity building by offering vocational courses through latest softwares and equipments available at the Centre. "We have about 21 million differently abled population in our country, they need to be trained and groomed and urged Corporates to come forward to contribute to this noble cause," he added. The Centre will have computers with several assisted devices and software to enable visually challenged students to use computers, the statement said. Mr Kishore Mohan Bhattacharyya, the Head of the Department of disability studies, said,"The NTPC has indeed done a great job and we hope that the students would be able to have proper exposure to science and technology." At present, a course on computer literacy and a foundation course in science and technology have been introduced and about 20 students have already enrolled for the course, it added. "One of the most challenging work for the disabled is to learn how to use computers, science and technology. So, this centre would help them in learning new technology," Ms Chitrani Medhi, course co-ordinator of NTPC foundation, said. Speaking on the occasion Mr S P Singh, Director (HR) NTPC Ltd said NTPC has been in the forefront for fulfilling its social responsibilities, besides carrying out various community development initiatives around the NTPC Projects and Stations. The NTPC Foundation is providing state of art facilities for the ICT Centre which is equipped with special software and hardware for the benefit of the disabled students. NTPC Foundation in its endeavour to empower the physically challenged and marginalised section of society was set up in 2004. (UNI)