Owaisi advocates for design excellence centre in Hyderabad constituency

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday sought a Centre of Design Excellence (CoDE) in his constituency.

Mr. Owaisi, who is campaigning his party’s candidates for the municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, was responding to Special Chief Secretary for Tourism Jayesh Ranjan over the establishment of CoDE in IIT Hyderabad. The move, Mr. Ranjan stated, would focus on skills, documenting and improving local crafts, design thinking curriculum, design led projects, hackathons and collaboration with other institutions.

Describing Hyderabad parliamentary constituency, which covers large parts of Hyderabad’s Old City as ‘real’ Hyderabad, Mr. Owaisi, encouraged Mr. Ranjan to have a similar initiative in that part of the city, even as he sought a larger number of interventions there.

Mr. Ranjan stated that one of the key projects that will soon be taken up is connected to lacquered bangles. The move will target makers and sellers of these bangles.

The CoDE at IIT Hyderabad is an initiative that seeks to bring together academia and the micro, medium and small enterprises in the State. It seeks to improve industrial capabilities through new design ideas.

In a separate development, Mr. Owaisi acknowledged the killing of a Bangladeshi Hindu and pointed out that such instances have been happening in the country. He, however, emphasised that political stability in that country is crucial. “If you read the Ministry of External Affairs Standing Committee, of which I am member, its report which was presented in the Parliament states that after 1971, it is becoming a challenge because we share 1,100 km land border. China is constructing an air strip there which is close to our border. Personnel from Pakistan’s ISI have visited that place. We have to study these things closely.”

Mr. Owaisi also touched upon what he said was a grant-in-aid and power which the Indian government had extended to Bangladesh, as well as a letter of credit.

“Lastly, who is our friend in South Asia. The Modi government should tell the country this. During Operation Polo, only two countries wholeheartedly supported us. First is Israel, the second is Taliban,” he said.