Rajgir, June 19 (UNI) Recognising quality education as a tool for development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that educational institutions across the country were being upgraded to global standards to achieve the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047.

Modi, who arrived on a day-long visit to Bihar for the first time after the Lok Sabha elections, inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University, a revived version of the ancient seat of learning and wisdom.

Education was an important tool for the development and prosperity of any country, the PM stressed.

"To achieve the goal of a developed nation by 2047, educational institutions are being upgraded to global standards across the country," the Prime Minister said, adding that all developed countries achieved the present status only due to their rich educational facilities. All those developed countries were once centres of quality education, and students from across the globe used to go there to quench their thirst for education and wisdom, he added.

Modi said the ancient Nalanda University was ruined by invaders and set ablaze with its rich library.

The Prime Minister said his government was committed to provide all assistance to the newly revived Nalanda University to develop it as a global centre of quality education and wisdom once again. The government had taken steps to encourage innovation and research and new startups were being promoted, he added.

The government had already announced creation of research fund of Rs 1 lakh crores, he stated and informed that 1.20 lakh start-ups were in existence, while ten years ago, its number was very low.

Modi said ten years back, only nine educational institutions had found their place among the top educational institutions in the world, which has now increased to 46. One university was being opened every week, while one ITI was being opened every day in the country, he added.

The Prime Minister said the number of IITs in the country had increased to 23, while the number of IIMS had gone up to 21, up from 13, ten years ago. Similarly, the number of AIIMS had increased to 22, while the number of medical colleges had doubled during the same period, he stated.

Modi said the IIT Delhi campus was opened in Abudhabi. Similarly, the campus of IIT Madras was opened in Tanzania, he said, adding that it was expected that the campus of the revived Nalanda University would also be opened in important cities across the globe in the days ahead.

The Prime Minister said the world had accepted the vision of India--" One earth, One family, One future". Similarly, June 21 is now being celebrated as International Yoga Day every year, he added.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while addressing the function, said then President APJ Abdul Kalam was the one who suggested the ancient Nalanda University be revived. On his suggestion, with the initiative of the Bihar government and the active cooperation of the Centre, ancient Nalanda University was revived.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also recalled the fame of the ancient Nalanda University as the seat of knowledge. He expressed his happiness that several countries had expressed their interest in the revival and development of Nalanda University as a world-class educational institution again.

Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of the University, representatives of foreign countries, and students, besides important dignitaries, were present on the occasion.

Before the inauguration of the new campus of Nalanda University, PM also visited the ruins of the ancient Nalanda University, which was set ablaze by invaders. UNI KKS ARN