Visakhapatnam: Students asked to face challenges, failures to succeed

Visakhapatnam: The present global pandemic brought huge healthcare challenges but it has also opened up an equal number of opportunities for every part of the world particularly the Indian Biotech sector saw many start-up companies rising with huge investment flow, said founder chairperson of Biocon Limited Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

She was addressing students of GITAM Deemed to be University virtually on the occasion of its 11th convocation.

While addressing the graduates she observed that many start-up companies in Indian biotech sector could not even attract venture capital or any funding in the past. But suddenly found a large number of investors. She expressed that many more start-up companies will come up in future. "The textile industry repurposed its plants into developing PPE suits and today we are a major exporter of PPEs to various parts of the world," she added. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw mentioned that initially there was a shortage of ventilators in the country but companies rose up to the challenge and started developing ventilators of various types and today it has become a big export opportunity for the industry.

She said that large number of companies including her own have developed very important drugs that can actually manage the disease better and prevent deaths at large. She advised that the present generation must face the challenges and failures in order to create opportunities.

Chancellor of the institution K Ramakrishna Rao said the campus will prepare the students to face all kinds of challenges. GITAM Vice-Chancellor K Sivaramakrishna informed that the institution is developing its own learning management system to be able to address its expanding needs.

Registrar D Gunasekaran informed that a total 6,135 UG and PG students, 140 PhD students have successfully completed their courses to receive the convocation degrees. He announced the names of 46 gold medallists. Pharmacy faculty PM Krishna Prasad received best thesis award and Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Balla Srinivasa Prasad received best researcher award.

GITAM Pro Vice-Chancellor Jayasankar Variyar, president M Sribharath, vice-president M Gangadhara Rao, among others participated in the programme.