President Pranab Mukherjee said that for India’s political and economic stability, it is important that “we have truly inclusive growth that benefits each and every citizen of the country, especially those who are at the margins of society and at the base of the socio-economic pyramid”.
He called upon the faculty and students of IIM Kashipur to focus on the problems of the bottom of the pyramid and develop innovative solutions to address their concerns while speaking at the first convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur, on Sunday.
Addressing students, the President said that as they stepped into the professional world, they must remember that the potential for learning is never exhausted. Education is a life-long process, he said. He expressed the hope that their studies would have inspired them to seek knowledge at every stage in their career.
“It is indeed a pleasant and privileged occasion for me to join you on the occasion of the first Convocation of the IIM, Kashipur, which was founded three years back. As the first batch of 37 Post Graduate Programme students complete their management degree course today, the institute should pride itself on crossing a major milestone since its inception. The unique geography of your institute’s location, in an industrial belt surrounded by a predominantly rural area, provides you the opportunity to develop ‘extension education’ courses. Students should be encouraged as part of their academic curriculum to contribute to positive social development by helping people of the region to learn better ways of running their farms, small businesses and other community ventures. It will create a sense of obligation to society, which they carry with them throughout their professional lives,” he said.
“At present, India stands at the cusp of greatness — while there are many challenges ahead, there are also boundless opportunities. We are passing through a phase of unprecedented demographic change which is likely to contribute to a substantially increased labour force. The bulk of this increase is likely to take place in the relatively younger age group of 20-35 years which would make India one of the youngest nations in the world.
In 2020, the average Indian will be only 29 years old as compared to an average age of 37 for China and the US, 45 for West Europe and 48 for Japan. It is clear that the youth of India, who are the leaders of tomorrow, shall aspire for higher standards of living, better service delivery and increased transparency and accountability.”
“On the eve of India’s 66th Independence Day on August 14th last year, I had observed that the glass of modern India is more than half-full. I had said that we are equal children before our mother; and India asks each one of us, in whatever role we play in the complex drama of nation building, to do our duty with integrity, commitment and unflinching loyalty to the values enshrined in our Constitution. If each of us follows this principle, I am confident that India will become a more vibrant, dynamic and prosperous nation,” said the President.
Out of the 37 pass out students, Ankit Garg was awarded Gold medal, while Pulkit Taluja, received silver medal. Besides, one of the pass out students Mayank Mishra was also awarded on this occasion for his all round performance.
Other dignitaries including State Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Union Minister of state for Human Resource Development Jitin Prasad, state cabinet Ministers Harish Chandra Durgapal and Mantri Prashad Naithani, MPs KC Singh Baba and Pradeep Tamta, Chairman of IIM Governing Body Dhuruv M Swami and Director IIM, Kashipur Gautam Sinha were present on this occasion.