Purnoor, Chandigarh April 28, 2019

            The Vice President of India, Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu said today that the youth of our nation must shoulder the greater social responsibility of exercising judgement in looking at social issues. He urged them to adhere to the traditions of tolerance and respect and protect our pluralistic culture. 

            He was addressing the 68th convocation of Panjab University of which he is the Chancellor, in Chandigarh today.  Shri.Naidu said that Panjab University had a glorious past and is one of the oldest Universities in India, set in a land which has witnessed centuries of civilisation & dedication to spreading knowledge in ancient centres of learning like Takshila. 

            He expressed his happiness at the University’s relentless quest for academic excellence and the rapid progress it has made in providing quality education to its 15000 students enrolled in about 200 affiliated colleges, 3 regional centers, 6constituent colleges and one rural center.  

            The Vice President congratulated Panjab University for having secured the 34^th position among all academic institutions in the nation, in the recent rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework. He also applauded the University’s focused efforts towards cultivating innovation and entrepreneurship among students. I am very happy that the University has been recognized by the UGC as the University with potential for excellence in Biomedical Sciences with facilities for stem cell Research and Drug development, he added. 

            The Vice President opined that Institution building is not an easy task and added that it requires vision, passion, competence, commitment, dedicated hard work and the ability to tap into the infinite potential within individuals and a network of institutions. He urged all stake holders of the Panjab University to keep up the momentum of their good work and not let complacency set in. 

            Shri. Naidu affirmed that India of the future would be powered by the dreams and ambitions, the character and competence of young people. He stated that we will be able to fully realize the vast demographic dividend in the years to come only if we can empower our youth with the right skills and attitudes. 

            The Vice President proposed that we must rethink and re-orient our educational system in the context of the twenty first century when the concerns of ecology, of human welfare and the welfare of the planet are equally imperative. It is possible only if we turn our system around, including aspects of curriculum and evaluation, towards critical  thinking, he said. 

            Observing that access to higher education has been improved considerably in our country, Shri. Naidu said that we have to focus upon raising the quality of education and ensuring that we offer the best possible education to our young people. 

            The Vice President suggested that we have to have institutions which are continuously nourished by five important streams of inquisitiveness, innovation, ethos that inspire inspiration, integration which encourages inter-disciplinary and collaborative learning and an internalized value system, just like Panjab which is irrigated by 5 rivers 

            Shri Naidu also urged the youth of the nation to use the means of communication that technology has provided, responsibly.  He emphasized that these modern means of communication must be used to facilitate social harmony and to cultivate a culture of healthy and civilized discussion on many of the pressing problems such as class and gender inequalities and the needs of the less privileged in society. We need to address these problems with empathy and sincerity, he added. 

            The Vice President also extended felicitations to Dr. K. Sivan, the Chairman of ISRO and one of our country’s foremost space scientists who was being honored by Panjab University with the Vigyan Ratna Award. Dr. Sivan’s outstanding work is an eloquent testimony of India’s extraordinary capability in space science and technology, he said. 

            On the occasion, Hon’ble Chancellor, PU and Vice President of India, Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu conferred Vigyan Ratna Award to Dr. K.Sivan, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, Bangalore.

            Prof. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, PU in his address said Panjab University remains a leader in its contribution towards preparing the best minds in the service of the country by producing outstanding scientist & academicians, jurists, philosophers, writers, great statesmen, leaders, industrialists, and social workers. Imparting education to thousands of students every year through its vast campus, affiliated colleges, regional and rural centers, the University is playing a significant role in fulfilling the dream of ‘shikshit bharat, sashakt bharat.’

            He further added that the University has expanded its influence by 100+ functional MoUs globally. During the financial year 2018-19, agencies such as the UGC, DST, GOI and ICMR have granted funding to 60+ projects worth more than Rs 21 crore. He informed that the University has taken lead in strengthening Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster (CRIKC) and a gallery of over 50+ deliverables to bring all researches, patents and products on one common platform is underway. This will showcase the contribution of not only Panjab University but also of all research institutes of the region while providing impetus to entrepreneurship and innovation capabilities.

            Shri V.P.Singh Badnore, Hon’ble Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT. Chandigarh, was guest of honour. 

            Prof. Shankarji Jha, Dean of University Instruction and Prof. Karamjeet Singh, Registrar, Prof. Parvinder Singh, Controller of Examination, Sh. Vikram Nayyar, Finance & Development Officer, former Vice Chancellors, PU fellows, faculty members and its affiliated colleges, PU Alumni, Ph.D holders, Post Graduates and Graduates were also present on the occasion.

            PU Ph.D. Degree awardees were from three other countries like Iran, Mayanmar and , Thailand and 16 States of India. Punjab with 200 Doctorates led the tally of eligible Ph.D. degree awardees among the states followed by UT, Chandigarh with 88, Haryana with 73 and Himachal Pradesh with 65 students.

            There were total 863 number of students bestowed with degrees out of which 235 were males and 628 females.  491 students were given Ph.D Degrees and 372 other than Ph.D. However, there were 291 number of students awarded with Merit certificates, medals and cash prizes.