Innovation, entrepreneurship, science and technology, research skills and good practices constitute knowledge and turning knowledge into wealth is the future of the country, said Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari while addressing the convocation ceremony of All India Institute of Local Self Government held in Mumbai today. The minister expressed the belief that the students graduating today will work for the country and society through their respective fields by using the knowledge they have obtained. He said that it is necessary to combine technology and education as technology is constantly changing all over the world. Gadkari said that to make the projects of local self-government bodies qualitatively better, it is time we engaged project management consultancy organisations of world standard, and for that, technical parameters should be given more weightage than financial qualifications. He said unless this happens, there will be little improvement in the administration of municipal bodies. The minister said that in order to improve the performance of the municipalities, it is equally necessary to do performance audit along with the financial audit. He said there is a need for financial empowerment of the local self-governing bodies, especially municipal corporations, by using technology, which can be utilised to provide services like road construction, waste management, water treatment, and 24-hour water supply in the best way. This will not only save money but will also earn revenue. As an example, Gadkari said that by making public transport fully electric, a lot of money will be saved. See also: Smart Cities Council announces awards for India’s Smart ProjectsWeb platform 'One Touch Mangaluru' implemented in the city