Vice-President Addresses Students at the 10th Convocation of IIT Jodhpur

The Vice-President today emphasized that foreign language should not be an unbreachable barrier to learn sciences, medicine and technology. Shri Dhankhar further encouraged students to break non-traditional barriers in education by embracing a harmonious blend of gyaan and vigyan. “Under the NEP, students now have the flexibility to pursue courses in non-traditional combinations—the harmonious blend of gyaan and vigyan, technology and knowledge together. Medical students can study economics or music alongside their core subjects, a step towards a holistic and well-rounded education,” he stated. He emphasized that “India’s future problem solvers will be those who are empowered to look beyond strict disciplinary boundaries.”

Addressing the students as Chief Guest at the 10th Convocation of IIT Jodhpur today, the Vice-President stressed the significance of education in the mother tongue, commending IIT Jodhpur as the first institution nationally to offer engineering and technology courses in the mother tongue. “There are dozens of countries who excel in engineering but do not teach these subjects in a foreign language. Look at Japan, Germany, China, and many other countries at the forefront of technology—they don’t take the recourse of a foreign language. Language the country believes in, the individual believes in. You can adopt German, Japanese, Chinese, or Indian. Our homegrown thinkers – either Baudhayana nor Pythagoras—were thinking in English. Yet they both arrived at this wonderful theorem in their own mother tongue,” he said.

Discussing India’s economic path, Shri Dhankhar urged collective action to move beyond the middle-income trap and toward becoming a developed nation by 2047. “We have to grow our per capita income eightfold. We have to become a developed nation by 2047, when we have our centennial celebrations of independence. An eightfold increase is reachable, achievable. We have to create meaningful employment high up in the value chain,” he emphasized.

Acknowledging India’s trailblazing role in the digital economy, he highlighted that the country has set a template of technological adaptation and transformation that the world now follows. “This country has set a template of technological adaptation and transformation for others to follow. Every day, 466 million digital transactions happen in India on an average. UPI has revolutionized the way we’re transacting in this country. Everyone has come to know about it. How widespread is its impact. More importantly, my young friends, UPI has found acceptance beyond our shores,” he noted.

The Vice-President also lauded India’s rapid growth in the startup ecosystem, now the world’s third-largest with over 1.25 lakh startups and 110 unicorns. “Innovation is another feature of our rise. India has now emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, with over 1.25 lakh startups and 110 unicorns. We need more ‘Indicorns’ that are Bharatiya in origin but global in their footprint,” he remarked. “What’s even more inspiring is that India’s startup ecosystem is no longer limited to metro cities—it has become a social culture, spreading across the length and breadth of the country. Here in Jodhpur alone, there are over 300 recognized startups and over 20 being incubated at IIT’s own technology incubation center. This institution has the potential to produce Jodhpur’s first unicorn.”

Encouraging IITs to lead with distinct specialties, he advised: “Today, I want to give a mantra: every IIT should have at least one niche area for which they should be known globally. Pick your lane and be the fastest.”

Broadening the scope, the Vice-President addressed India’s role in the space and blue economies. “India now has a staggering and all-pervading space footprint with Mangalyaan, Gaganyaan, and Aditya Missions. India’s potential extends beyond terrestrial domain. Our space economy is set to grow fourfold by 2030. Although it has made major strides, our share in the global space economy is in single digits. We need to dream big,” he said, adding that “The oceans offer a wide range of sectoral opportunities like fisheries and aquaculture, ports and shipping, marine and coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, IT-driven marine innovation, deep seabed mining to name a few. Another huge promising area is Green Hydrogen. India has aspired to produce 5 million metric tons (MMT) of Green Hydrogen by 2030 that will help fuel growth without further degrading the environment.”

In closing, the Vice-President appealed to India’s youth to embrace their strengths: “The world wants to join Bharat’s growth story, with global partners aiming to anchor their supply chains here. Our global partners want to ‘friendshore’ their supply chains in our country. Today’s world looks to India as a template for technological adaptation, achieving an average of 466 million digital transactions daily. Our youth must reject the ‘doom and gloom’ mentality of the past, embrace our strengths, and become the driving force of a prosperous, self-reliant India.”

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dr Ram Madhav, President, India Foundation, Shri A.S Kiran Kumar, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Jodhpur, Prof. Avinash Kumar Agarwal, Director, IIT Jodhpur and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

Read full text here : https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2068516