Inauguration of the New Building of COEP Technological University’s Library and Computer Engineering Department by the Chief Minister

Granting autonomy to institutions providing higher and technical education for new research is the need of the hour – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Pune, Sept 2025 : Granting autonomy to institutions in the country that provide higher and technical education is the need of the hour for new research and for creating capable manpower, and efforts are ongoing from the government at both central and state levels in this regard, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated.

Chief Minister Mr. Fadnavis was speaking at the inauguration of the new buildings of the library and the Computer Engineering Department at COEP Technological University, and at the “COEP Pride Awards” ceremony organized on the occasion of Engineering Day. On this occasion, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Vice-Chancellor of COEP Technological University Sunil Bharud, Registrar Dr. Dayaram Sonawane, former Director Shailesh Sahasrabuddhe, Alumni Association President Bharat Gite, Secretary Sujit Pardeshi, and others were present.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said that with autonomy, institutions like COEP will be able to participate at the global level, carry out technology exchange and collaborative research. This will create a bridge of capable human resources as Maharashtra moves toward a $3 trillion economy and India toward a $5 trillion economy. The state government has made a strategic decision to grant autonomy to more and more institutions in the coming time, the Chief Minister clarified.

He said that for the expansion of COEP Technological University, 28 acres of land has been provided at Chikhli. The government will provide support at its level to further strengthen such institutions. Also, necessary funds will be provided for setting up research. COEP is regarded as one of the prestigious and oldest institutions in India. The institution has a history of 172 years, and in 2028, it will complete 175 years. This is a remarkable journey in India’s educational history. Alumni who studied at COEP are today working in various fields and contributing to enriching all sections of society.

The Chief Minister further said that during the computerization era of the 1990s, many doubts and suspicions were raised, but gradually human resource development took place, and Indian youth occupied Silicon Valley. By demonstrating their capability in the field of information technology, India’s global perception changed. All credit for this goes to the engineers. Due to artificial intelligence and computing, rapid changes are taking place in the world today. Along with these changes, new opportunities are also being created, and glimpses of this are visible through initiatives like hackathons. In Pune’s agriculture hackathon, a model was developed with the help of AI to predict new pests arising due to changing climate, and this is certainly promising.

Technical institutions and engineering colleges should take the initiative to prepare human resources according to the changing technology. Since the new education policy is providing new opportunities to traditional subjects with modernity, the youth will embrace this change, expressed the Chief Minister.

Minister Chandrakant Patil said that in the new education policy under the leadership of the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s knowledge tradition has been included. Emphasis has been placed on research, patents, and royalties. These aspects will have significant contributions in developed India in 2047. The government will cooperate in strengthening institutions like COEP.

Presentation of Lifetime Achievement and COEP Pride Awards by the Chief Minister

The Lifetime Achievement Award this year was presented by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to former scientist of ARDE Mrs. Vasantha Ramaswamy. The COEP Pride Award was conferred upon Vilas Javdekar, Founder and Chairman of Vilas Javdekar Developers, Pune; Dr. Mahantash Hiremath, former President of ASME; Jayant Inamdar, Managing Director of Structcom Consultants Pvt. Ltd.; Umesh Wagh, Chairman of JNPA; Tushar Mehendale, Managing Director of Electromech Material Handling Systems Pvt. Ltd.; and Shravan Hardikar, Managing Director of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

The program was introduced by Alumni Association President Bharat Gite. Vice-Chancellor Sunil Bharud provided information about the university.

Inauguration of New Buildings of Library and Computer Engineering Department

The newly constructed buildings of the library and the Computer Engineering Department at COEP Technological University were inaugurated at the hands of the Chief Minister.

The central library, with a proud legacy of 150 years, has now been relocated to a modern, purpose-built facility. This library will meet the knowledge needs of more than 4,000 students. Here, valuable literature and reference books of the past century are preserved, and modern digital tools, along with facilities for collaborative learning and research, have been made available.

The new Computer Engineering Department is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and infrastructure, and it is set to become a hub for innovative research and advancements in emerging technologies.