The HNB Garhwal University held its eighth convocation in virtual mode with the Union Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ as the chief guest on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Nishank expressed happiness over the establishment of the Indian Himalayan Central University Consortium (IHCUC) by the NITI Aayog at the university, and hoped that the consortium would evaluate the economic impacts of women workers in the mountainous regions. He said the consortium should work on agro-ecology of Himalayan States with special reference to marketing, development of affordable and environmentally friendly tourism in hilly areas and creation of employment opportunities for migration control from mountainous regions.
Himself an alumnus of the university, the union minister said that it has immense possibilities whether it is science, environment, or spirituality. The Garhwal University can lead the whole country as a center of excellence, he opined. Stressing on the need to move from character building to nation-building, he gave the mantra of ‘Nation First, Character Must’. Talking about the new education policy, he said this is based on this concept, which will not only produce professionals but also create world citizens whose values are based on Indianness with a global vision- ones who understand ‘Nation First’ and follow the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Nishank gave a call to the vice-chancellors of the Himalayan universities and said that these universities should undertake research in hill agriculture, horticulture, herb production, floriculture, organic agriculture, eco-tourism, and technology. This would generate sources of livelihood in Himalaya.
Speaking on the occasion, University Grants Commission chairman Dhirendra Pratap Singh recalled his days as a student in Garhwal University, calling it the best place for learning. He said, “The convocation is an important day for all the students who receive the degree, after this they have to use their earned knowledge for the betterment of their society.”
The university’s chancellor Yogendra Narain said that the plank of the new education policy is very broad and it has embodied many new and important ideas from primary education to higher education, which are highly encouraging innovations. The university vice-chancellor, professor Annapurna Nautiyal spoke about the activities and achievements of the university on the occasion. This year 155 students registered for the online convocation, 72 students were awarded PhD while 59 gold medals were awarded to the toppers in various subjects.
Wednesday, 02 December 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
