The Union Home and Cooperation minister Amit Shah attended the 113th convocation ceremony of Gurukul Kangri Deemed University in Haridwar on Thursday. While greeting the students on the occasion of Ramnavami, Shah said that they are embarking on a new journey in life with their passing out of this university. Speaking of the glorious tradition this university has been carrying with it, he said that it has been standing as a banyan tree, embodying the message of Maharshi Dayanand for India and the world and the hoary- old education tradition of the country.

Dwelling on the national education policy brought about by the Narendra Modi government, Shah said that the great educational ideas of Marahshi Dayananad, Swami Shraddhanand and MK Gandhi have been incorporated into it. “In the new education policy, primary education is being given in the mother tongue. This is a great step forward,” Shah added.

Shah also spoke of the start- up policy and said that it has been providing the youth with myriad opportunities of earning. “While in 2016, there were just 724 startups, the number has spiraled to over 70,000 in 2022. You should also note this fact that over 10,000 startups came up during the critical time of the pandemic. And importantly, the women are running 44 percent of the startups,” Shah said.

The chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also spoke on the occasion. He said that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah, the Article 370 had been abrogated. “This was a momentous initiative for the country,” he said, adding that the country is now in safe hands.

On this occasion, 99 students were awarded with bachelor certificates, 100 students with post-graduation certificates while 56 students were awarded with PhD degrees. Besides, 83 students were presented gold medals.