Bengaluru, Karnataka IT/BT, Skill Development and Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan on Friday called on the industrial sector to increase its closeness with educational institutions for the betterment of society, especially in Covid situation.

In his inaugural address of the 2nd edition of India's largest summit for smart technologies 'SMARTec India-21', conducted by ASSOCHAM in association with other organisations, he said that the best possible way for industries to connect with society is through institutions.

He said that industries should not limit looking towards education institutions only during campus interviews, and should try to establish a relationship beyond that.

"The world is expanding virtually every day and there will be no boundaries or geographical limitations. We need to ensure earth remains the best place to live by creating better individuals," he said.

"The Covid situation has proved that technocrats and innovators are real heroes and there is a huge requirement for skilled resources in emerging technologies. The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) aspires to impart skills to future citizens at student level itself, to fill the gap of industry requirements," he added.

Stressing that the government is very keen to respond to the needs of the industry and wants to conduct at least 8-10 international tech events annually, he added, that, in the future, SMARTec summits will be held in Bengaluru.