PM Modi at IIT Delhi Convocation: PanIIT Chairman Calls ‘Historic Moment’ for IIT Community

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the 57th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has been described as a historic moment for the IIT community and a significant occasion for India’s technology and innovation ecosystem.

Addressing more than 3,000 graduating students, including 587 PhD scholars, Prime Minister Modi is the Chief Guest at the convocation being held on August 8. He is also scheduled to confer IIT Delhi’s highest academic honours, including the President’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold Medal, Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal and Perfect Ten Gold Medals. 

The Chairman of PanIIT Alumni India Prabhat Kumar said, “the occasion reflected the larger role that the IIT system has played in India’s development and its continuing contribution to technological advancement,” further he added “As Chairman of PanIIT Alumni India, I have always believed that the IIT story is India’s story—a story of ambition, innovation, excellence and nation-building.”

The Chairman recalled Prime Minister Modi’s earlier engagements with the IIT community, including his participation in IIT Bombay’s 56th Convocation in 2018, where he described IITs as an “instrument of transformation”. In 2019, PM Modi addressed the 56th Convocation of IIT Madras during its Diamond Jubilee year and highlighted the opportunities emerging for India.

At IIT Delhi, the Prime Minister’s visit comes at a time when the institute is expanding its focus on frontier technologies, advanced research and national and international academic collaborations.

A key highlight of the convocation is the inauguration of Param Pragya, an AI-powered high-performance supercomputing facility established at IIT Delhi’s Sonipat campus. The facility is intended to strengthen advanced computing capabilities and support research in areas where artificial intelligence and high-performance computing are increasingly important. 

For the PanIIT community, the facility represents more than a new piece of technological infrastructure. It is being viewed as a symbol of India’s growing capabilities in artificial intelligence, advanced computing and cutting-edge research.
The Chairman said the development sends an important message about India’s aspirations to move beyond being a consumer of technology and emerge as a creator and innovator in strategic technology domains.

IIT alumni have contributed extensively to industry, scientific research, entrepreneurship, public institutions and technology-led innovation in India and across the world. The next generation of graduates is entering an era shaped by artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor technology, biotechnology and other emerging fields.

Congratulating the graduating students, their families, faculty members and the IIT Delhi community, the PanIIT Chairman Prabhat Kumar said, “the occasion reinforced a powerful idea, when the IIT story advances, the India story advances with it.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at IIT Delhi is expected to inspire and energise students, give fresh impetus to their aspirations, and contribute to strengthening India’s education and innovation ecosystem.