We should move away from mediocrity and aspire to be among the best institutions globally: Vice President to academia

Chandigarh, May 6, 2022: The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today emphasized the need for Universities to accord greater importance to implementable patents under Intellectual Property rights to give a fillip to economy and industry. He termed it necessary to strengthen industry-institute linkages for better research outcomes.

Addressing the 69th Convocation ceremony of Panjab University in Chandigarh today, the Vice President said that we should move away from mediocrity and not be satisfied with what we have achieved. He also exhorted Panjab University to work towards attaining ranks in top ten universities globally.

Shri Naidu wanted the universities to further create an environment of continuous professional development for teachers, and asked faculty members to focus on ground-breaking research.

Stressing that Universities must be at the forefront of the knowledge revolution, through path breaking innovations and cutting edge research, the Vice President wanted closer interaction between Universities and government so that more robust policies can be formulated.

Calling for making good quality education accessible and affordable to all, the Vice President wanted such education to lead to a positive transformation in an individual's outlook, societal cohesion and inclusive national development. “The New India of our dreams will be built on aspirations and new competencies. It will be built on the knowledge, skills and attitudes we impart in our classrooms and the innovation we foster in our workshops and laboratories,” he said.

Emphasizing that education should transform the way we look at the planet and the way we interact with fellow human beings, the Vice President said that our life should be illuminated by five virtues of Guru Nanak Devji, namely - Sat (honest, truthful behaviour), Santokh (contentment), Daya (compassion), Nimrata (humility) and Pyaar  (love). I hope these principles will continue to inspire us to be better human beings, he added.

The Vice President asked the students to use their knowledge to change the world and to work proactively to address the many challenges we face as a nation. “Aim high, devote yourself to building a bright future for yourself and for the nation at large. Success and fulfillment will then follow,” he told students.

Praising the National Education Policy-2020 for ‘Indianizing’ the Indian education, Shri Naidu stressed the need to provide primary education in mother tongue. He also wanted people’s languages to be used as the language of administration, courts, and legislatures.

Referring to India’s demographic dividend, the Vice President said that with the right education and encouragement, our youth can excel in any field and make the country proud. He exhorted the youth to work for building a New India, a prosperous India, a happy and peaceful India. “This should be our aim,” he stressed.

Terming peace a prerequisite for progress, Shri Naidu called upon all universities to see that peace is maintained at campuses and focus their attention on bringing academic excellence. Emphasizing the importance of cohesion and harmony in the society, he said that these values should be inculcated among the students from a young age in our schools. “There should be no place to divisions of caste, creed, religion and gender in 21st century. We all belong to one country, India,” he said.

Praising the Panjab University for earning itself a place of pride in the higher education landscape of the country, Shri Naidu called it a University with glorious past, a very impressive present and a bright future. He also complimented the University for its students’ consistently good performances in sports.

Expressing Happiness over the progress made by Panjab University in all aspects of higher education, Shri Naidu complimented the Vice Chancellor of the University, the faculty members and the Senate members for steering the University so well. He expressed confidence that in coming days, Panjab University will emerge as a leader for internationalization of education by creating mechanisms for collaborative research, faculty and cultural exchange programmes, among others.

On this occasion, the Vice President also conferred honoris causa on Principal Scientific Advisor, Prof Ajay Kumar Sood and pioneers of indigenous vaccine manufacturing, Dr Krishna Ella and Smt Suchitra Ella. In addition to them, Panjab University Ratna Awards were presented Prof. JS Rajput in education, Acharya Kotecha in Indian medicine, Ms Rani Rampal in sports, Prof. Jagbir Singh in literature, Shri Onkar Singh Pahwa in industry and Shri Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia in fine arts category. The Vice President appreciated the University for honouring the extraordinary talent from all corners of India and hoped that other universities would also follow this example.

In his address, Shri Naidu also advised the students to regularly take part in Yoga or sports to keep fit. He also asked them to eat properly cooked traditional food as prescribed by our forefathers according to our bodily needs and climatic conditions. “If you are friendly with nature and follow your culture, your future would be bright,” he told the students.

Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Punjab, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, Governor of Haryana, Shri Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Manohar Lal, Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Som Parkash, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Prof. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, CA Vikram Nayyar, Registrar, Panjab University, Honoris Causa Degree Recipient, Shri Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, faculty members, students and other eminent personalities were among those present on the occasion.