‘Though I’m a vegetarian, when J-K students came…’: Vice President recalls his time as Jharkhand Governor

The Vice President mentioned the enthusiasm of the CEOs he met at the recently concluded AI Summit in New Delhi, and said that the “true purpose of technology is not progress alone, but progress with purpose”.

Congratulating the graduating students, Radhakrishnan observed that while universities may be known for infrastructure and academic excellence, their true legacy is reflected in the character and contributions of their graduates. Noting that the Minister for Higher Education in J&K and the Vice Chancellor of the university are women, and that a majority of gold medal recipients were women, he said, “I am the happiest person for these important reasons.” He described this as a powerful reflection of women’s empowerment and progress in J&K.

Pointing to government initiatives such as Digital India, Start-Up India and Make in India, Radhakrishnan said that these initiatives “have made the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the country more vibrant”.

He urged students to adapt, equip themselves with new skills and embrace innovation. He encouraged them to pursue “swadeshi” innovations aligned with national priorities and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Lieutenant Governor and Chancellor of the University of Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister and Pro-Chancellor of the university, Omar Abdullah, also addressed the graduating students.

Terming the convocation “a day of succession”, Omar said that the students are succeeding the generations that kept the “flame of knowledge alive through difficult times”. Emphasising that his government is focused on the three pillars of meritocracy, sustainability and digital sovereignty, Abdullah said that the most inspiring statistic was that of the 60,000 graduating students, over 60% of the degrees awarded are being earned “by our daughters”.

“We have moved from women’s welfare to women-led development,” the Chief Minister said.

He said while the skill gap is often discussed, “I want to talk to you about the will-gap.” Abdullah pointed out that many with degrees in Humanities, Arts and the Sciences, there is a lingering fear that the market outside the gates of the university is not ready. “I am here to tell you that we are building that market. My administration is restructuring the industrial policy to incentivise knowledge-based industry. We don’t just want factories, we want research and development centres,” he said.