IEP Chandigarh, November 29
The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu graced the 18th Convocation of National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra as the chief guest today. On the occasion, the President also inaugurated the blockchain technology based degree solutions developed by NIT Kurukshetra and other collaborators for awarding degrees through digital medium and conferred degrees to the students of the year 2020 and 2021 batch through the same medium. Governor of Haryana, Sh. Bandaru Dattatraya and Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal were also present on the occasion.
While congratulating the students receiving degrees, President, Smt. Droupadi Murmu said, “I give my best wishes to all the students along with their parents, family members and teachers. The family members and the society have played a significant role in their success and therefore to express their gratitude, the students should pledge to use their knowledge for the betterment of the country and society.”
The President said that she feels special and happy while attending any programme related to education because before starting her public life, she had worked as a teacher in a school. She said that the NIT University is celebrating its diamond jubilee and has received special recognition nationally and internationally.
“More than 40,000 former students of this university had contributed to nation building and had played an important role in raising the prestige of the country globally,” she said, adding that from Singapore to Silicon Valley and from civil society to civil services; the students of this university have made their place in all the fields.
Daughters setting records in every field today
The President said that out of 5,800 students of NIT, more than 1,100 are girls and out of 2,800 students graduating today, more than 500 are girls. “This is also a proud moment. Today daughters are setting records in every field. More and more girls should come forward in the field of science, mathematics, technology and engineering,” she said.
Technical institutions have to take steps towards making students future-ready
Smt. Droupadi Murmu said that in today’s digital era, challenges are also being faced by rapidly changing technologies and for this the technical institutions will have to take steps towards making students future-ready. “This is also one of the main objectives of the National Education Policy. The NIT Kurukshetra is also moving in the direction of Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics etc, which is a commendable step,” she added.
Responsibility of students to solve problems through technology
The President said that the farmers of Haryana have contributed to the production of food grains by playing a valuable role in the Green Revolution. But at present, problems of air pollution, land pollution, falling groundwater level etc. have arisen in this area and it is the responsibility of the students to find solutions to these problems through technology, she asserted.
It’s time for technology for social justice
The President said that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that even the common man is tech-friendly. “Digital payment is the biggest example of this. If the technology is for the good of the public, then the cooperation of citizens is also garnered in its adoption. Now it is time for technology for social justice. That is how technology can be used for the betterment of society and this thinking has to move forward to help the underprivileged; so that they are not left behind,” she said.
Appeal to parents, motivate children for excellence
President Smt. Droupadi Murmu said that knowledge, ability and success in life should never be measured on the basis of money. She appealed to the parents to inspire the children for excellence; only then the children would be able to experience satisfaction and meaning in life.
On the occasion, MP Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, S. Sandeep Singh, MLA Sh. Subhash Sudha, Chief Secretary Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal and Director General of Police, Sh.PK Aggarwal were present along with other dignitaries.
