President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday advised graduating students of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) to never forget their duties towards the motherland, whatever they chose to become in their life.
She was attending the 52 nd convocation and closing ceremony of the centenary year celebrations of Punjab Engineering College here in Chandigarh.
Addressing the graduating students, the President said that as they were entering into a world of unlimited opportunities and possibilities, she had no doubt that they were capable of converting opportunities into success and possibilities into certainties.
She said that they were the builders of India of tomorrow. It was expected from them that they would use the knowledge acquired in the prestigious institution for doing service to humanity too. She urged the students to keep Mahatma Gandhi’s message of ‘Sarvodaya’ in their individual priorities.
Ms. Murmu said that the PEC had emerged as a leading institute for research and contributed to the global technological change. “It is a premier institute of the country as well as a harbinger of technical education in this region,” she added.
President Murmu also said the number of girl students should be increased in technical educational institutions to give more impetus to the progress of the country.
The President lauded the institute and said she was happy to note that it has provided many luminaries to the country.
Among its famous alumni, she named former Chairman of ISRO and father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India, Prof. Satish Dhawan, eminent educationist and founder Director of IIT-Delhi, Prof. R. N. Dogra, and an expert in missiles technology and strategic systems, Dr. Satish Kumar.
Ms. Murmu observed that Kalpana Chawla, an alumna of PEC’s aeronautical engineering department, became the first woman astronaut of Indian origin and created an inspiring history of self-sacrifice for science.
Noting that the Kalpana Chawla Chair of Geospatial Technology has been established in the institute, she said, “The number of girl students should be increased in technical educational institutions to give more impetus to the progress of the country.”
