‘Greening Young Minds’ a unique initiative to bridge the gap between industry and academia: Energy Minister Sunil Kumar

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: In a first-of-its-kind initiative by a government agency, the Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL), awarded internship certificates to 15 BE students of R.V. College of Engineering, Bengaluru on the completion of the three-week internship program- ‘Greening Young Minds’ at KREDL here on Friday.

Expressing happiness over the initiative, Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar said the program is a proactive initiative by the department to impart practical knowledge on sustainable energy to technology students.

Education cannot be confined to a few topics in the curriculum. This is a unique initiative to bridge the gap between industry and academia in line with the New Education Policy (NEP). The younger generation needs to be given a hands-on experience and exposure in industry, he stressed.

Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL), is a nodal agency of the Government of Karnataka to identify, promote, and develop renewable energy projects in the state. KREDL has signed an MoU with Indian Wind Power Association (IWPA) and R.V. Engineering College to kickstart the three week internship program ‘Greening Young Minds.

The course intends to introduce India’s Power and Renewable Energy sector to technical students. The programme also includes a detailed learning on– A dharmic perspective on environment protection, an Overview of the Indian Power scenario, the Need for renewable energy, and Concepts of wind farming.

Presenting the certificates to students, Mr. Kumar Naik, Additional Chief Secretary – Energy, Government of Karnataka said, “With a lot of emphasis being laid on technical education and the green energy sector, this unique initiative by KREDL helps in skill development.

We are happy to join hands with renowned technical institutions and are determined to take this engagement to a higher level in the coming days. The idea is to train young minds to find solutions to problems human society is facing from one time to another”, he added.

Naik also inaugurated the 2 KW Pico (small) hydropower generation demonstration unit installed at the KREDL office premises. The Pico model installed, will help students understand the working principles of hydropower projects. Speaking on the occasion, Rudrapaiah, MD, KREDL, said this is the first of its kind internship programme by a government agency.

Through this programme, KREDL is providing an opportunity to technical students to learn industrial practicalities along with textbook knowledge. A lot of thinking has gone into conceptualizing the internship curriculum, he said.