Indresh Kumar Pandey, Director General - Road Development and Special Secretary, MoRTH; and Prof. Manoranjan Parida, Deputy Director and Professor of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Friday signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee for continuation of MoRTH Professorial Chair focusing on research and development, teaching and training in the development of highway infrastructure. The MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed by Indresh Kumar Pandey, Director General (Road Development) and Special Secretary; and Prof. Manoranjan Parida, Deputy Director and Professor of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee.
Both the organizations have agreed to continue the MoRTH Professorial Chair at IIT Roorkee to provide leadership in different areas.
This collaboration will strengthen research and development activities in the road sector and the chair professor is expected to provide leadership in the development of highway infrastructure. It will also facilitate studies on environmental and social impacts of highway development projects, at the institute and Indian academia.
During the MoU signing, Mr Pandey said, "The government supports the enhancement of quality research through partnerships and mentorship programmes. This MoU sets a new benchmark of government-academia partnership that can enhance learning and open up new opportunities for development..."
Prof. Parida said, “IIT Roorkee has been contributing towards teaching, research and development in highway engineering in the country for a very long time. This MoU provides an opportunity for IIT Roorkee to work on contemporary challenges in the Highway sector and be a partner in the highway development in the country”