HPU Convocation: 448 Degrees and Gold Medals awarded

Shimla: 25th Convocation Ceremony of Himachal Pradesh University Shimla was held here today. Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ was the Chief Guest in the Convocation Function.

As many as 448 Degrees and Gold Medals were awarded on the occasion to meritorious students, out of which 276 were females and 172 males. On the occasion, Vivek Kumar was awarded D.Litt Degree, whereas Afghan national Mohammad Sharif Shaheen was also awarded gold medal in Public Administration.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ awarded meritorious students of the University with gold medals and degrees.

In his address, Union Minister said that India was known as the ‘Vishwa Guru’ across the world since time immemorial due to knowledge and wisdom. He said India believe in universal brotherhood and peaceful co-existence. He said the challenges in life become opportunities for those who accept them. He said that with the launch of schemes such as ‘Make in India’, Skill India, Start-Up etc., there were ample employment and self-employment opportunities to the youth of the country.

He also congratulated the medal recipients and wished them prosperous and bright future. He said youth of the country has a major role to play in the vision of ‘New India’ and urged the students to work with dedication to make India a five trillion economy in the next few years. He said that Union Government was coming up with a new education policy to strengthen the education system in the country and make education employment oriented.

Governor Bandaru Dattatraya said that the aim of education should be gaining of knowledge along with character building.  He called upon the students to develop skills along with higher education, which would help to get employment.

The Governor said that today, girls were excelling in every sphere of life. In most of the educational institutions, girls outnumber boys in the medals tally and said that it was a positive sign that the society was changing. He said that 124 gold medals were also awarded today in Himachal Pradesh University, out of which 87 gold medals were in the name of girls. Similarly, 189 girls were awarded PhD degree out of the total 323 students and a total of 448 degrees and medals were awarded today, of which 276 were girls. He congratulated the girl students for this achievement.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the State Government was committed to providing quality education to students of the State by strengthening the existing infrastructure. He said that the motto of the Government was to make Himachal Pradesh an ‘Education Hub’ of the country.

While expressing concern over the increasing tendency of drug abuse among the youth, Jai Ram Thakur urged the students to make a campaign against the drug abuse a movement.

Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur said that youth are the biggest strength of India. He said that every possible support would be provided to strengthen the University.

Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said that the budget for the HP University has been increased to Rs. 130 crore which shows the commitment of the State Government to strengthen the University. He said that the New Education Policy being finalised by the Union Government will help India to regain its old glory as ‘Vishwa Guru’. He expressed hope that the University would continue to excel in the field of education, research and sports.

Vice-Chancellor Himachal Pradesh University Prof. Sikander Kumar welcomed the Union HRD Minister, Governor, Chief Minister, Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Education Minister and other dignitaries present on the occasion. He said that it was a historic day for Himachal Pradesh University as Union Human Resource Development Minister was the Chief Guest on the occasion of the 25th Convocation Ceremony. He also detailed a brief history of the University.