President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday stressed that the number of girl students should be increased in the technical educational institutions to give more impetus to India’s progress. The President, , addressing the 52nd convocation and centenary year celebrations of Punjab Engineering College (PEC), also urged the students to never forget their duties towards the motherland, whatever they choose to become in their life as they are the builders of India of tomorrow.
“It is expected from you that you will use the knowledge acquired in this prestigious institution in the service of humanity too,” said the President while addressing the graduating students.
Urging the students to keep Mahatma Gandhi's message of ‘Sarvodaya’ in their individual priorities, she said that it is the moral duty of every citizen, especially the youth, to put into practice the values of the ‘Father of the Nation’.
“As you are entering in the world of unlimited opportunities and possibilities, I have no doubt that you are capable of converting opportunities into success and possibilities into certainties,” said the President, who was accompanied by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, UT Advisor Dharam Pal, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Dr Ajay Kumar Sood, among others.
The President distributed Gold Medals to the students and also conferred Honoris Causa to Dr Ajay Kumar Sood and Dharam Pal. A Convocation Souvenir was released by the Governor Purohit, and was presented to the President Murmu which was followed by a documentary film on PEC.
Lauding the Institute, the President said that she was happy to note that it has provided many luminaries to the country. Among its famous alumni, she named ISRO’s former chairman and father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India Prof Satish Dhawan; eminent educationist and founder Director of IIT-Delhi Prof RN Dogra; and an expert in missiles technology and strategic systems Dr Satish Kumar. Kalpana Chawla, an alumna of PEC's aeronautical engineering department, became the first woman astronaut of Indian origin and created an inspiring history of self-sacrifice for science.