Science and technology indispensable for growth, says VIT Chancellor
Science and technology are indispensable for the growth of developing countries with largely young populations, VIT founder and Chancellor G. Viswanathan said at the concluding day of graVITas 26, a three-day techno management festival at the Vellore campus. He said only 75 of 193 countries are classified as developed, and that India has over 15 crore persons aged 18-23 but around 30% have access to higher education, with about 4% receiving government scholarships. The festival drew 39,049 registrations across over 227 events.
Source
The Hindu — National · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Of 193 countries, only 75 are classified as developed, mainly due to progress in science and technology. — Attributed directly to G. Viswanathan in a quoted presidential address; not independently verified.
- India has more than 15 crore persons in the 18-23 age group, of whom around 30% have access to higher education. — Figure appears in the source, attributed to the Chancellor; no data source named.
- Around four percent of students were able to get government scholarships for higher studies. — Quoted statement by the Chancellor; no supporting data cited.
- Gravitas 2026 recorded 39,049 registrations across over 227 events at VIT's Vellore campus. — Organiser-supplied figure reported in source; internally consistent.
- A special session by boAt co-founder Aman Gupta was held; Cognizant's Atul Sahgal and others were present. — Names and designations appear in the source as attendee list; consistent.
Analysts’ view opinion
Though delivered as a campus festival address, this speech puts a finger on a real fault line in higher education policy: the gap between access and affordability. The figures cited — over 15 crore Indians in the 18-23 bracket, roughly 30% with access to higher education, and only about 4% receiving government scholarships — support the argument that policy design has focused more on expanding seats than on making them affordable. At the same time, the proposed remedy of private scholarships and internships comes from the chancellor of a private university, so the interest angle is worth noting.
- Getting in and being able to pay are two distinct problems; the 30% access figure and the 4% scholarship figure point to two separate policy gaps.
- The observation that the financial burden falls mainly on parents strengthens the case for targeted, means-tested support for poor and middle-class students.
- Asking private companies and institutions to fund scholarships is practical but not a substitute for public financing, as voluntary corporate support tends to be uneven and concentrated in select fields.
- Framing S&T strength as the reason only 75 of 193 countries are classified as developed casts education spending as long-term economic policy rather than welfare expenditure.
- The 39,049 registrations across 227-plus events show strong student appetite, but festival participation is not by itself a measure of skills gained or employability.
What to watch — Watch for whether this translates into concrete movement on scholarship coverage, easier education loans, or structured industry-linked internship schemes at the government or institutional level.
The story does not establish the source, methodology or reference year for the figures cited, and this is one educationist's view rather than any government policy announcement or new scheme.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 3 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology) held graVITas 26, its three-day techno management festival, at its Vellore campus, concluding on Sunday. In his presidential address on the final day, VIT founder and Chancellor G. Viswanathan argued that science and technology are indispensable for the growth of developing countries with predominantly young populations. He linked national development to universal access to higher education and flagged the gap between India's large 18–23 age cohort and the share actually enrolled in higher studies, calling on private companies and institutions to fund scholarships and internships.
Key facts
- G. Viswanathan, founder and Chancellor of VIT, delivered the presidential address on the concluding day of graVITas 26 at the Vellore campus.
- He said that of 193 countries, only 75 are classified as developed, mainly due to progress in science and technology over past centuries.
- India has more than 15 crore persons in the 18–23 age group, according to the Chancellor.
- Around 30 percent of this young population has access to higher education, he said.
- Around four percent of students are able to get government scholarships for higher studies, per his address.
- graVITas 2026 recorded 39,049 registrations for participation in over 227 events held on the VIT campus.
- A special session by Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt, was held on the concluding day.
- The report was published on September 20, 2026, 11:03 pm IST.
Timeline
- Three days ending Sunday (as reported)graVITas 26, VIT's techno management festival, held at the Vellore campus with 39,049 registrations across over 227 events.
- Concluding day (Sunday)Chancellor G. Viswanathan's presidential address; prize distribution to competition winners; special session by boAt co-founder Aman Gupta.
- September 20, 2026Report of the event published.
Who has a stake
- Students in the 18–23 age group — Access to higher education; only around 30% have access and about 4% receive government scholarships, per the Chancellor.
- VIT and its leadership (G. Viswanathan, Sankar Viswanathan, Sekar Viswanathan) — Hosting graVITas as a platform for budding engineers to sharpen skills and technical expertise.
- Poor and middle-class parents — Bear most of the financial contribution for their children's higher education, as noted in the address.
- Private companies and institutions — Urged by the Chancellor to support students through scholarships and internships.
- Industry figures present (Aman Gupta of boAt, Atul Sahgal of Cognizant, Hemant Sahal of Digii) — Industry-academia interface: talent acquisition, mentoring and entrepreneurship exposure for students.
Why it matters
The gap flagged at the event — over 15 crore young Indians aged 18–23 but only about 30% with access to higher education and roughly 4% on government scholarships — frames whether India's demographic bulge becomes a dividend or a burden. The Chancellor's linking of developed-country status to centuries of science and technology progress underlines why widening access to technical higher education, and private funding of it, is a development question, not just an education one.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- graVITas 26: three-day techno management festival of VIT held at its Vellore campus; 39,049 registrations, over 227 events.
- G. Viswanathan is the founder and Chancellor of VIT; Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan are vice presidents.
- Figure cited: only 75 of 193 countries are classified as developed.
- India's 18–23 age group: more than 15 crore persons, with around 30% having access to higher education.
- Around 4% of students receive government scholarships for higher studies, as stated in the address.
- Aman Gupta is co-founder of boAt; Atul Sahgal is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Cognizant.
Mains framing
The address at graVITas 26 restates a core development argument: nations that advanced in science and technology over the past few centuries became the 75 developed countries among 193, and they did so by extending education, especially higher education, to everyone. India's constraint is not the size of its youth cohort — over 15 crore in the 18–23 bracket — but the narrowness of access, with only about 30 percent reaching higher education and roughly 4 percent supported by government scholarships, leaving the financing burden largely on poor and middle-class parents. The consequences are a demographic window that risks being under-utilised and a skills base too thin for a technology-led economy. The way forward suggested in the source is twofold: expand affordable access to higher and technical education for poorer and middle-income households, and mobilise private companies and institutions to fund scholarships and offer internships, with festivals such as graVITas serving as industry-academia platforms where budding engineers sharpen technical expertise. Any answer should stay with these stated propositions rather than assuming specific policy instruments.
Key terms
- graVITas
- VIT's annual techno management festival; the 2026 edition ran three days at the Vellore campus with 39,049 registrations and over 227 events.
- VIT
- Vellore Institute of Technology, the private institution that organised graVITas; founded by Chancellor G. Viswanathan.
- Developed country (as used in the address)
- Classification applied to 75 of 193 countries, attributed by the speaker to centuries of progress in science and technology.
- Access to higher education
- Share of the eligible age group enrolled in higher studies; cited as around 30% for India's 18–23 cohort.
- Government scholarship
- State financial support for higher studies; said to reach about 4% of students, leaving costs mainly with parents.
Practice questions
- India has over 15 crore persons aged 18–23 but only about 30% access higher education. Examine the implications of this gap for India's demographic dividend and suggest ways to widen access.
- "Progress in science and technology explains why only 75 of 193 countries are classified as developed." Critically discuss this claim in the context of higher education policy in developing countries.
- Discuss the role private companies and institutions can play in financing higher education through scholarships and internships, and the limits of such support.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.