In pursuit of its aim to incubate socially relevant research for the holistic development of Chhattisgarh, IIT Bhilai has inked two MoUs with the Government of Chhattisgarh in a ceremony organised on Friday, 16 May 2025. The MoUs have been signed with the Directorate of Archaeology, Archives and Museums, Government of Chhattisgarh and the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board respectively. The ceremony was organised in the auditorium of the Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum at Raipur, on the first day of a three-day national seminar titled The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities organised by the Government of Chhattisgarh.
The MoUs were signed by Shri Vivek Acharya, IFS, Director of the Directorate of Archaeology, Archives, and Museums as well as Managing Director of the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board and Prof Santosh Biswas, Dean, R&D, IIT Bhilai in the presence of Prof Rajiv Prakash, Director, IIT Bhilai. The MoU with the Directorate of Archaeology, Archives, and Museums envisions documentation of protected and unprotected historical sites and monuments in the state of Chhattisgarh, building a knowledge repository in the form of a library and XR museum foregrounding Chhattisgarhs history and heritage at IIT Bhilai, and establishing a faculty chair in heritage studies at IIT Bhilai in order to attract the best global talent. The MoU with the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board envisages incubation of research on augmenting Chhattisgarhs tourism potential in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), development of destination management plans for tourist destinations Chhattisgarh, and performing impact assessments to understand the potential effects of tourism on local communities, ecosystems, and cultural heritage sites.
Speaking at the occasion, Prof Prakash said that it is a matter of pride for IIT Bhilai to be strengthening its ties with the Government of Chhattisgarh towards realising the shared aim of Viksit Bharat 2047. He informed that an interdisciplinary research centre, the Centre for Culture, Language, and Traditions, has been established at IIT Bhilai to catalyse research in the domains of cultural heritage, janjatiya knowledge, and indigenous livelihood. The Centre was inaugurated by Shri Ramen Deka, Honble Governor, Chhattisgarh in a ceremony at IIT Bhilai in December 2024, and is working to take forward the institutes mandate of action-oriented research for the benefit of the people of Chhattisgarh. Shri Vivek Acharya affirmed that the Government of Chhattisgarh is happy to have IIT Bhilai as a committed stakeholder towards the development of Chhattisgarh, noting that there are many synergies between history, culture, and technology. He said that Chhattisgarh has many unique tribes with their own distinct artistic practices, traditions, and heritage, which present fruitful opportunities for a premier research institute like IIT Bhilai to conduct path-breaking research for the development of the state.