Innovation, entrepreneurship will help India to become economic superpower

Hyderabad: The sun shone like powdered gold over the sky of the Global Peace Auditorium, Brahma Kumaris Shanti Sarovar, Gachibowli, here on Saturday at the XXII Convocation of the University of Hyderabad (UoH).

The University gave away the coveted degrees to 4,800 students enrolled in various programmes and graduated in 2020, 2021 and 2022, with 1631 receiving their degrees in person and remaining in absentia. 573 out of 4,800 are Ph.D. Scholars and multiple students were felicitated with awards and medals (484) for their extraordinary performances.

The ceremony was conducted after three years due to the pandemic. Justice L Narasimha Reddy, Chancellor of the University, declared the ceremony open and administered the oath to the recipients. Prof B J Rao, Vice-Chancellor, welcomed Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor and Chief Rector of the University; Dharamendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Justice L Narasimha Reddy.

The ceremony commenced with the felicitation of the five young faculty members with the Chancellor's Award in recognition of their overall contribution to the University in various spheres, including research, teaching, mentoring of students and corporate life of the campus. They are: Dr Anil Kumar Pasupulati, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences; Dr Srinivasarao Yaragorla, Associate Professor, School of Chemistry,

Prof Ajaya K Sahoo, Professor, Centre for Study of Indian Diaspora, School of Social Sciences; Dr Salah Punathil, Assistant Professor, Centre for Regional Studies, School of Social Sciences, and Dr Satish Narayana Srirama, Associate Professor, School of Computer & Information Sciences.

Prof B J Rao, in his Annual Report, applauded the faculty, students, and parents for their contribution in making the University of Hyderabad an Institution of Eminence. He also mentioned the forthcoming initiatives, courses, projects, and funding to strengthen the teaching environment and infrastructure. Several MoUs have been signed with various institutions globally to increase internationalization efforts. He took immense pride and joy in expressing the achievements of the students and faculty of the University.

"The University has uploaded a total of 36270 records of the degrees awarded from 1977 to 2022 to the digilocker system, which by itself is a record", he added.

While addressing the students, he said, "You have been fortunate enough to receive a higher education, and now it is your chance to extend your hand to the deprived sections of the society."

Justice L Narasimha Reddy congratulated the entire fraternity of the University of Hyderabad for reaching great heights with every successive year. "This is the time for us to show to the world the power of our education system. It is all about the survival of the fittest with the entry of private universities and the resultant prevalence of stiff competition. You have to reciprocate what the nation has given to you. This is the value system which can genuinely help you to succeed in life", said Justice Reddy.

"Convocation is a major milestone that changes the track from learning to practice". He congratulated the University for emerging as the center of excellence and being the torch-bearer in making India a knowledge-based economy,said Dharmendra Pradhan.

"I am confident that when India will be celebrating 100 years of independence, UoH will be one of the major epicenters of our knowledge-based society. I also expect our students to give back to society to make their education more meaningful and purposeful", he added.

Dharmendra Pradhan said innovation and entrepreneurship will help India become an economic superpower and a knowledge-based economy. He encouraged students to do their bit for the betterment of the society and to make education more meaningful.