The Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Gen S.F. Rodrigues, awards a doctorate to Mr R.A. Mashelkar, Director-General, CSIR, at the 32nd convocation of the university in Amritsar on Sunday.
— A Tribune photograph |
Amritsar, January 8
The Governor and Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, General S.F. Rodrigues, today described universities as great instrument of change. He said according to the latest analysis the country would emerge as the largest economy in the next two decades.
Presiding over the 32nd annual convocation of Guru Nanak Dev University, the Governor urged the academicians, professionals and the administrators to develop new concepts to harmonise the creative ability of the youth for generating new opportunities of employment.
He said the new economy would provide an ample scope for the professional workforce to take the country forward. The universities had the special responsibilities to reinvent the higher education system and programme so that our young generation take up the global challenges, he said.
Expressing his dismay over the fact that more than 260 million people still live below the poverty line, he suggested that we must restructure our system to evolve a strategy by providing them suitable opportunity through innovative planning.
Exhorting the students to fully recognise their fundamental duties along with rights laid down in our Constitution, General Rodrigues said that we must adhere to this article of faith and devote our energies for the progress and prosperity of our country.
Mr H.R. Bhardwaj, Union Minister for Law and Justice, while delivering the convocation address, said the most important challenge and priority before India was that every child should receive basic education. “Education is the only hope for our nation to change its current status of a developing country to a developed country”. He opined that though there had been substantial growth in our higher educational system and we were generating over three million graduates every year, yet our employment generation system was not in a position to absorb the graduates passing out from the universities leading to an increase in educated unemployed year after year.
Meanwhile, the university honoured Mr Bhardwaj with the degree of doctor of philosophy (Honoris Causa) in the faculty of laws while Dr R.A. Mashelkar, Director-General, CSIR, New Delhi, with the degree of doctor of science (Honoris Causa), Mrs Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Vice-Chairperson, Punjab Planning Board, was conferred with the degree of doctor of philosophy (Honoris Causa). An Arjuna Awardee and former Hockey Olympian, Col Harcharan Singh and a popular Punjab folk singer, Amarinder Gill being the former students of the university were also honoured with gold medals for their contribution in sports and cultural fields, respectively.
More than 500 postgraduate and graduate degrees were awarded to the students of various academic disciplines. The PG degrees were awarded by General Rodrigues while graduate level degrees were presented by the Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.P. Singh.
