Inclement weather forced President Pranab Mukerjee to cancel his schedule appearance at Second Convocation meet of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Mandi today. However, President left for Baglamukhi temple in district Kangra and landed at Sapri near Jawalamukhi at around 10.30 to pay obeisance at Baglamukhi Temple.
Chairman, Board of Governors, M. Natrajan read the President’s speech, in which the President has exhorted the students to serve for the Nation and for the needs of common man and secure new vistas of frontier technology.
Meanwhile, Governor Kalyan Singh was the Chief Guest for the convocation ceremony while Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh presided over the function.
As many as 127 students were listed for being given degrees in various science and engineering streams besides six students were bestowed upon with Gold and Silver medals on the occasion.
The President of India Gold Medal and the Institute Silver medal was awarded to Shoubhik Debnath by the Chief Minister. He also honoured Silver medals to Krishna Karnani and Deepak Sharma in streams of computer science and engineering. The Chief Minister also conferred upon Rani Gonsalves Medal for outstanding female B.Tech student to Damini Singal.
The Governor in his address stressed upon the need for intense research for developing new technologies in various sectors like agriculture, power, environment, information technology in order to ensure development of the nation and state.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh congratulated the graduating students of IIT Mandi and exhorted to adopt latest techniques in the fast changing trend of technological revolution.
He said that the capacity to create, organize and apply knowledge was the most important trait of every successful person today and in the present scenario, knowledge itself is expanding at ever greater speed and is a never ending process.
The Chief Minister said that IIT Mandi had recently expanded its academic curriculum to Masters Programme in Chemistry and Energy Materials. He said that the Institute had recently focused on the geographic needs of our state by initiating a program in infrastructure and civil engineering with a focus on the problems and needs of the State of Himachal. These efforts have been bolstered by other efforts of the Institute such as a project focused on developing technologies for the Himalayan region and also studying the medicinal and herbal plants in and around the Kamand valley and the region. He said
“I expect IIT Mandi to foster state-of-the-art education in the state. Having IIT in Himachal provides a good opportunity for engineering and science teachers to upgrade themselves by registering for Masters and Ph.D programmes”,
The Chief Minister said that ‘Green Energy’ is a need and an opportunity for the State and advised IIT to focus on hydro, geothermal and solar energy.
Director, IIT, Mandi, Timothy A. Gonsalves welcomed and honoured the Governor and the Chief Minister on the occasion. Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma, Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary, Member of Parliament, Mandi Ramswaroop Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary Tarun Shridhar, DGP Sanjay Kumar, DC Mandi, Sandeep Kadam SP, Mandi Mohit Chawala were also present on the occasion amongst senior officers of the State Government.
