Describing J&K as a perfect blend of cultural and religious diversity, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, Wednesday urged resident students to take good care of their outstation colleagues so that they leave with sweet memories and become ‘goodwill ambassadors’ of J&K in the rest of the country.She said our campuses of higher learning symbolize the secular fabric which is at the core of this great nation. “Let us make them feel at home. They are our guests. I am sure they will talk about our hospitality and good behaviour and make our children studying in the rest of the country part of their extended families,” she stated.The Chief Minister made these remarks while addressing a huge gathering during the 5th Convocation of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), here this morning.Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Governor, N. N. Vohra, were also present on the occasion.Besides the Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Kumar Singh, Minister of State in PMO, Dr. Jatindra Singh, Ministers in the Council of Ministry, legislators and senior police and civil officers also attended the Convocation.
Congratulating the management and faculty for propelling SMVDU into country’s top 100 universities, as per National Institutional Ranking Framework, Mehbooba Mufti praised the ‘young ignited minds’ for excelling in their fields of specialization. She said she was delighted by the brilliant performance of the girl students, who outnumbered boys by quite a distance and literally swept all gold medals on offer.“I am happy that Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, from a very modest beginning in 2004, has made tremendous progress in a very short span of time. This university is an institution borne out of a constant urge to see faith as a resource, a trust repository of common people,” she stated.Describing universities as melting pots of culture, ethnicities and ideas, where people of all faiths and cultures converge, the Chief Minister said the university’s success is a great tribute to the vision of her father during whose tenure as Chief Minister SMVDU was established.The Chief Minister observed that the talented human resource is the country’s greatest wealth and it will have to play a pivotal role in driving its engine of growth. She said India is in the midst of a social, economic and technology change, which requires urgent realignment from educational institutes.“What sort of future we will have, depends on how these institutes of excellence influence the mindset of our societies in general and prepare our youth for tougher challenges in future,” she added.