The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has asked students to not to indulge in any activity that dishonor the prestige of our mothers and sisters and remain committed to highest moral and ethical values in their life. He was addressing the 4th Convocation of the National Institute of Technology, Panaji, Goa today. The Governor of Goa, Mridula Sinha, the Chairman and Members of Board of Governors, NIT Goa and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.The Vice President advised the graduating students not to take any short-cuts or quick fixes to scale new heights. He further said that perseverance, honesty, empathy, patience and self-belief will enable you to realize their dreams. Nothing is impossible to achieve but the path you choose has be a righteous one, he added.The Vice President said that as engineers, it is important for students and the youth to take a closer look at the collective needs of the populace and come up with innovative, cost-effective solutions, especially in areas such as healthcare and education. He further said that wherever they go, do not forget their obligation towards the society and the nation. You cannot neglect the ethical aspect of your engineering profession and remember that if you make your contribution towards the cause of the society with a sense of responsibility and commitment, you will always be remembered, he added.
Saying that India poised to become a high middle-income country by 2030, and lot of opportunities will be waiting for the skilled youth in different sectors, the Vice President asked the Teachers to impart skills to the youngsters to enable them find gainful employment or become self-employed. Government’s ‘Skill India’ programme is a step in that direction, he added.The Vice President said that even 71 years after attaining Independence, we are saddled with numerous challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, diseases, farmers’ distress and social evils like atrocities on women and weaker sections, child labour, terrorism, communalism and corruption have to be eradicated to build a New and Resurgent India. I expect the youth of the country to be in the forefront of this noble mission, he added.Stressing the importance of education, the Vice President said that it is not just for employment and it is meant to empower, enlighten, widen the perspective of the students and develop them into global citizens.He emphasized the urgent need to revamp our higher education in tune with contemporary requirements. We simply cannot continue to have lakhs of engineering students graduating without basic employable skills every year and this undesirable trend has to be stopped. Our Universities need to overhaul the syllabi and the teaching methodologies to make the courses relevant to the needs of the industries, he added.