Campus Watch section of Engineering Watch Magazine

1. NIFTEM NIFTEM
CAMPUS WATCH A Theme Centre Academic Programmes
NIFTEM envisages to have various “theme centres” B. Tech
NIFTEM is the brainchild of the Ministry of Food with the aim of promoting thought leadership and
Processing Industries (MoFPI). MoFPI in its Vision
document-2015, envisaged creation of a world-class
innovation –driven practices in the key sector of food
processing with strong sectoral/functional focus.
Food Technology and Management
PHOTOFEATURE
institution to cater to the various stakeholders such as M. Tech
entrepreneurs, industry, exporters, policy makers, Sectoral Theme Centres Food Supply Chain Management
government and existing institution. NIFTEM would Food Safety and Quality Management
work actively in assisting in setting food standards, Dairy
Food Process Engineering and Management
businesses incubation and information sharing. It Cereal based products
Food Plant Operations Management
Animal protein
would also be an apex institution in the field of food Food Technology and Management
Fruits and vegetable based foods
technology and management, networking and
Beverages
coordinating with other institutions in the same field. Confectionery Career Opportunities
NIFTEM graduates would cater to the needs of
NIFTEM is being established at Plot No. 97, Sector 56, Cross Sectoral theme Centres
entrepreneurs, industry, exporters, policy makers,
Phase IV & V, HSIIDC Industrial Estate Kundli, District
government and to existing institutions. Several career
Sonipat, Haryana, as an international center of Management studies / business incubation
Trade / Knowledge management / Networking opportunities have been identified as given below:
excellence to cater to the needs of various
Packaging and Engineering Ÿ Product Development Scientist
stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, industry,
Food standards, Testing and Safety Ÿ Sensory Scientist
exporters, policy makers, government and existing Ÿ Food Microbiologist
Biotech
institutions. Ÿ Food Analyst
Nutrition
Culinary Science Ÿ Quality Control Supervisor
Ÿ Food Process Engineer
Ÿ Food Ingredient Manager
NIFTEM Ÿ Food Regulatory Affairs Specialist
DIVISIONS Ÿ Nutrition Specialist
Ÿ Food Fermentation Specialists
Skill Development Ample Opportunities in Food Processing (snack food,
Consultancy beverages, meat, winery, dairy etc.) Food service sector,
SME Development supply chain, Post harvest, Food Retailing, Food
Regulations and Health & Wellness service providers in
addition to overseas employment are also available Proposed Campus
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson UPA
with Mr. Subodh Kant Sahai, laying the foundation stone of NIFTEM
www.niftem.ac.in

2. Academics has been my first- half.
I was looking for an opportunity
where you can really bring
those changes
which we have in mind in the
academic world.
ENUNCIATION
How is NIFTEM slated to transform the Indian Food
sector, in terms of Human Resource Development,
Research and building enterprises?
Ajit Kumar, Vice Chancellor, NIFTEM
Well, to tell the truth, Indian food processing sector is need engineers and managers, you need more than
still in its infancy stage. The sector started growing about 50,000 people in the next 5 years. While if you take all
8 to 10 years ago. It has grown very fast. It has outpaced the institutions which run food technology courses, or
all other sectors of the economy, as you know. The last food Science courses, in our country, they produce
few quarters it has been growing at about 15 to 16 hardly about 2200 people in one year. So, where will the
percentage per annum. While other sectors have been industry get their people?
growing at about 3 to 5%. So the sector has lot of
potential. It is growing inspite of all the drawbacks it is That is why NIFTEM has also launched its B.Tech and
facing. For example, the sector’s first obstacle is, lack of M.Tech courses in Food Technology and Management.
trained manpower which it doesn't get. A study shows And here we have a very innovative course which is the
that by 2022, we would need to train about 2.5 million only one of its kind in the whole world, I can claim that,
people in the whole country. If you do not have skilled because it has a blend of technology and management
manpower, you have to take whatever comes your way. in the same programme. The course is called B.Tech in
You have to recruit people, you can’t close it down. So, Food Technology and Management. That is one way of
the industrial efficiency and productivity suffers by NIFTEM's effort to fill the skill gap in the food processing
about 30-35%, just because of one reason, lack of skilled
manpower.
sector. 39
Research
Skill Development Similarly, as far as research is concerned, we are at a very
NIFTEM has therefore drawn a very ambitious program preliminary stage in our country. Research, say for
of running a skill development campaign which is PAN product development, you have hundreds of varieties
India and which is going to be launched next year with of cheese, in France or in US and maybe in Netherlands
support from the 12th plan funding of the Government but we have only one variety of cottage cheese that we
of India. The aim is to skill 2.5 million people in the next 5 know. When we produce so much of milk, of different
years. The idea is to take the help of existing institutions, varieties ,like cow milk, buffalo milk etc. Why cant we do
existing infrastructure, existing trainers, and just research and produce many more variety of cheese.
upgrading their way of working. You upgrade the That was just one example I gave. So, product
knowledge of the trainer, you upgrade the infrastructure development research is at a very beginning level where
which is available for training, and you also upgrade NIFTEM has made lot of plans. We have started 14
those institutions which are doing the skilling. We would laboratories here, which are already established with
develop standardized and certified curricula for the best possible equipments in the world. They will do
different kinds of training which is needed. You roll out research in product development. They will do research
the whole training plan all over the country, get it in technology development, they will do research in
evaluated by independent agencies from time to time, process development. They will also do research in the
NIFTEM is expected to do make corrections, and ultimately the certification of the
whole operation will be done by independent agency. So
frontier areas like nutraceuticals, use of nano
technology in nutraceuticals. How do you fortify foods
pioneering work in that this training is not a training where people come, sit
for some time, have their lunches and go. This training
by use of nano technology. So these things are huge
areas of research which the industry needs. And which
would be something which would award a certificate to
development of human resource a person would mean the person really has the
NIFTEM will be fulfilling tomorrow.
in the food processing sector. knowledge to work in that industry, at that particular
level. Because the industry has many levels.
Outreach Programme
And similarly, the scientific knowledge which we have
now, in our country, as well as what we are getting from
Sharad Pawar, For example the highest level of industry where you our knowledge partners, different universities all over
Minister of Agriculture & Food Processing,
Government of India at the inauguration
of NIFTEM on November 7th, 2012 www.facebook.com/engineeringwatch
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3. the world. We need to disseminate the scientific country, and that too from very high ranking students of traditional wisdom which is exists in this nation which The student today, who becomes a B.Tech
knowledge all over the industry, to the progressive the AIEEE examination. Our basis of admission this year is scattered and splintered all across. What are
farmers, and to prospective entrepreneurs also. That is was AIEEE ranking. Our students rank from 13000 to NIFTEM's plans in that area?
or M.Tech must know what India is, must
also a huge outreach program that NIFTEM is going to 18000 ranking of AIEEE. There are students who left IIT know what villages are, must know what
roll out, so that, a person who wants to establish a food and came here because they wanted to study food Two things we are planning. The first thing we are farmers are, how they toil. And the
processing industry whether it is small or big, has full technology. So, that way some sort of a satisfaction also already implementing, we have a very innovative input unfortunate part is 90% of the students of
knowledge of the scientific facts. He starts with that so that the journey has begun in a comfortable manner, in our course curriculum i.e, village adoption program our country who come out of schools and
that he can plan things properly in the right perspective, and we would like to grow this further. The student for the students. They nurse that village for the next 4 colleges, do not know what the villages
and the rate of success will be ahead. strength should reach about 1000 in the next 3 years. years or 2 years of B.Tech or MTech respectively. When are.
But I'd say that will be a very small drop in the ocean they are here, they have to go and stay in the village four
Where would you like NIFTEM to stand on the global where the number required is about 10 to 12000 of times in a year, twice during this semester. How does Well, you know, you have really touched the soft chords
forefront 5 to 10 years down the lane in its intended qualified B.Tech people. the farmer work, why is it happening? Here are of my heart . To share the truth with you, academics has
sector? We'd be producing, lets say, about 300 to 400 people per inefficiencies in the supply chain. How do you transfer been my first- half. I did my Masters in Physics in 1972,
Well, 5 years down the lane, I would expect NIFTEM to year from our institution, and if some more institutions your knowledge to the farmers and the villages? In this did another Masters in Environmental Sciences in 2001,
stand in the same forefront as any other of the best come up, we can cater to the needs of the sector. way, this can’t only be one way transfer of knowledge, and then I finished my PhD with IIT Delhi. So, I have been
possible institutions in the world. Whether it is UC Davis but it will be a two-way transfer of knowledge. The in Academics, and the best part is, even during my
or Kansas State University, University of Nebraska, As the founding vice chancellor of this grand students will transfer the scientific knowledge which postings as a bureaucrat, I have been doing lecture
Lincoln. 10 years hence, I would like NIFTEM to go Institution, what 5 things you think, would take they carry. At the same time, the huge indigenous circuits all over the country, Lecturing mainly about
beyond that. NIFTEM to its intended heights in years to come? knowledge which we have in the villages, about even environmental conservation issues in Colleges and
preservation of food, very low cost preservation of food Schools. And somehow I loved that more than even my
The journey has just started, what has been the success The first thing would be, People who come here should products which we do not know, which we have job .
so far in accomplishing this grant vision. What has been be the best, i.e, their knowledge should be the best forgotten. So students should carry back the traditional So, I was looking for an opportunity where you can really
the key accomplishments so far? knowledge, wisdom, common sense in which a farmer bring those changes which we have in mind in the
The journey of course has been very trying and Second, take research which helps the industry, which works. They'll get it back and they will imbibe it in their academic world. For example, this village adoption
challenging. I would say only one part of the journey is solves their problems. Research should not be for the own life style, thinking. Tomorrow when they are programme as a part of the academic program was one
fulfilled, in the sense that the physical infrastructure has sake of doing research and keeping the research qualified, they will propagate that. They will also make thing that was near to my heart. The student today, who
been in place. You might have seen that the physical documents in the shelves in the University. those indigenous technologies little more efficient. becomes a B.Tech or M.Tech must know what India is,
infrastructure is the best in the world. The laboratories Wherever little more technology is needed, without must know what villages are, must know what farmers
which we have, as I mentioned have the best Third, you should become an institution which would making it a capital intensive technology. Give a little are, how they toil. And the unfortunate part was 90% of
40 equipments in the world. You name it, and it is there. We provide solution to all problems in the industry under technological input here and there, little more efficiency the students of our country who come out of schools 41
also have the best teaching aides which should be one roof in the next 5 years, whether it is problem of here and there. That is one part of it. and colleges, do not know what the villages are. Unless
available in any best University of the whole world. We skill development, whether it is problem of research, and until the student himself is from the village. The
are now trying to put life into the whole system. We are whether it is problem of technology development, Second, we have already started planning large scale country doesn’t develop unless you develop the villages.
trying to bring in the best faculty. I feel proud about our whether it is problem of expansion of the industry, or documentation of indigenous technologies in the It will create problems. So it was my dream to, somehow
faculty. Till now we've selected about 30-32 faculty consultancy. This is the third thing that I'll like NIFTEM to country, the food processing sector in two ways. get into something which will give me an opportunity
which are the best in the world. They have robust do so that it positions itself properly. that will try to do something basic, where I can shape the
knowledge, they have good exposure and they have To store, preserve and value-add. There were value-add future generations of the country.
commitment to the food processing sector. So the most Forth, NIFTEM should also reach the farmers in our technologies earlier also. My grandmother used to roll
challenging task ahead of us is to get the brightest country. The farmers need to be told about very cost masalas on cauliflower and preserve it for the whole What message would you like to give to the
faculty, brightest researchers, brightest academicians effective measures to improve the shelf life of their year. prospective engineers as to pursue a career in food
and of course the brightest students. produce, or to preserve their produce which is not technology?
happening. The farmer is suffering on that account. You And on the other side, the Indian delicacies, we have I'd like to say that you should understand food
In getting the brightest students we have been would be knowing nearly 50,000 crore worth of produce thousands & thousands of them. Indian food varieties, technology very well. And its not rocket science, so don't
reasonably successful, in the sense that this year, when gets lost in our country every year. It is a huge loss to the can we not produce them in a large extent and even be afraid of it . Secondly, the opportunities are immense.
we advertised for 120 seats for B.Tech in Food farmers. We would like NIFTEM to go across to the export them. Indian food is a huge hit outside. We have a If you think that you'll get 10 jobs, you'll be having 100
Technology & Management, we were quite unsure farmers and tell them as to how to preserve their huge market waiting. jobs, waiting for you when you pass out with a food
whether we will get number of applications because produce, how to value-add, or convert them into some technology degree. Only thing is that you should be
food technology is quite a new area, when everybody form to have better and longer shelf life, so that they These are the two things that we would like to catalogue focused what you want to do. Money should not be the
wants to go for Computers and IT these days. But to my don't lose that much. or, study the indigenous technologies, bring them here, only criteria because you will get tons of it when you go
surprise, we got 1380 applications from all over the and then make a detailed catalogue of them. In this way, for jobs, but, try to bring changes by becoming
Lastly, I would like NIFTEM to produce entrepreneurs, we'll try and catalogue the Indian recipes. Of course it entrepreneurs . That is my message to all my students.
The most challenging task ahead of us not job-seekers. We'd like each one of our student to will take time. It is not 1 year job. Study food technology, become entrepreneurs,
become an entrepreneur tomorrow. So that he doesn't organize farmers to change India, change Indian food
is to get the brightest faculty, go around seeking jobs, he goes around giving jobs to Lastly, after being a career bureaucrat for so long and sector, change Indian destiny.
brightest researchers, brightest people managing the affairs at a very vast level what really
academicians and of course the prompted you in taking up this assignment and
India has a grant heritage in the food sector. What is steering this institution as an academic administrator Watch the LIVE Interview at
brightest students. the vision of NIFTEM to take advantage of the and setting it across? www.engineeringwatch.in/ajit-kumar
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