– Ronita Torcato

IIT Madras’ Pravartak Technologies Foundation — a non-profit company hosted by IIT Madras in Chennai —  and the Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skill University (RTMSSU) have signed an MoU to offer certified online training, internships, and mentorship of engineering students.

The Mou was signed in Mumbai on Friday, July 10, at the “Start-up Frontier 1.0” exhibition and conference which was inaugurated by Maharashtra governor Jishnu Dev Varma.

The joint venture will utilise CSR funds from ‘Vertiv’, a free skill development initiative to train 1,500 engineering students in data center operations and digital infrastructure management.

RTMSSU has also established pre-incubation centers across 60 colleges to connect students with investors and industry mentors.

In his address, governor Verma called on universities to “evolve beyond degree-awarding institutions to become active centers for innovation, intellectual property (IP), startups, and social transformation.”

He cited countries like Singapore, Israel, and Switzerland as examples worthy of emulation, and noted that global progress can be achieved primarily through human capital, technology, and innovation, even without abundant natural resources.

Skill development minister Mangalprabhat Lodha said the government is determined to expand the startup culture beyond tier1 cities into the rural and tribal areas.

Ipsita Dasgupta, MD, HP India said that in partnership with the state, the upcoming HP Creators Garage Labs will provide project-based learning and hackathons in gaming design, AI, coding, and cybersecurity.