IIT Roorkee holds 22nd annual convocation ceremony

Roorkee (Uttarakhand) [India], April 7 : Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee on Thursday held its 22nd annual convocation with great pageantry.
The convocation ceremony commenced with the students singing the 'National Anthem' and 'Kulgeet' (Institute song). The convocation was held under a dress code of Indian attire: Kurta for males and Saree for females.
A total of 2022 degrees were awarded this year, comprising 1,005 Undergraduates, 638 Masters and 379 PhDs, the IIT Roorkee said in a statement.
The awardees, their families, and the campus community enthusiastically attended the annual degree-awarding event. The graceful ceremony was presided over by the Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Roorkee BVR Mohan Reddy.
Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan adorned the occasion as the Chief Guest.
While heartily congratulating all the 2,022 graduating students, Pradhan said, "IIT Roorkee has witnessed India's freedom struggle and has been a leading institution in independent India's growth story. And in this Amrit Kaal, IIT Roorkee and all the graduating students must ensure a developed nation by 2047. It is a century of knowledge and under India's presidency, the G-20 theme being - 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' based on millennium-old understanding and values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam; IIT Roorkee and its students, faculty and alumni must create a plan on how they want to utilize the great opportunity of G-20."
He also mentioned, "IIT Roorkee must take the lead in the education transformation of the country where service to humanity is at the centre of education."
Director of IIT Roorkee Prof KK Pant welcomed the degree recipients and others and presented his annual report highlighting the achievements of the institute. Deputy Director of the Institute Prof UP Singh was also present at the ceremony.
Dean of Academic Affairs Prof Apurbba Kumar Sharma, presented the doctoral degree recipients and the awardees of various medals and merit certificates who excelled in their specializations, while the respective heads presented the candidates to the Chairman, Senate for distribution of the degrees, medals and prizes.
And the event began with a welcome address by the Director, Prof KK Pant who congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to strengthen their networking and communication abilities, develop relevant skills periodically, think like entrepreneurs and develop leadership qualities.

This was followed by the institute's annual report presented by Prof KK Pant, who gave an overview of the institute's achievements and the vision of the 175-year-old institute aiming to be a hub for world-class education.
Some remarkable achievements of the institute include introducing the UG curriculum aligning with the objectives of the NEP 2020, providing equal opportunity for all, particularly those in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) areas at all levels, the statement said.
The IIT Roorkee has also implemented and supported the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI), an innovative pilot project launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), which ushers a novel intervention programme for promoting gender equity in science and technology, SAKUNTALA (Scheme for Aspirants of Knowledge Under Talent Advancement) Fellowship, a special scheme for female candidates for admission in the PhD programme at IIT Roorkee and the 'Golden Girl' scheme for the gold medalists and first rank holders of top 50 universities or institutes of the country for admission into the post-graduate programs.
On the occasion, Chairman Prof KK Pant congratulated the graduates and urged them to use their education for the betterment of society and the nation.
Reflecting upon the role of an institution in shaping future leaders and the evolving higher education sector in India, he said "IIT Roorkee's goal is to encourage graduates to continue learning and to be ready for the constant changes and disruptions happening in the world by contributing to the national growth story."
BVR Mohan Reddy said, "IIT Roorkee is one of the most prestigious institutes in the country known for imparting quality education in engineering and technology for many years. The quality of our graduates is the testimony to this, and, in the process, the role of parents, family, and teachers in the success of graduates cannot be undermined. We encourage our graduates to take advantage of opportunities and contribute to society."
The event concluded with the conferral of degrees and diplomas to all graduates and the "Oath" taken by the recipients of the degrees and diplomas, bringing the ceremony to a memorable finish.