New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged graduating students of IIT Delhi to look beyond academic achievements and lucrative career opportunities and dedicate their knowledge, innovation and problem-solving abilities to addressing the country’s emerging challenges.
Addressing the 57th Convocation Ceremony of IIT Delhi, Modi said the degrees awarded to the graduating students represented much more than academic accomplishments, describing them as a mandate to contribute to nation-building. He congratulated the students, their parents, faculty members, mentors and support staff and said the institute had prepared the graduates to take on difficult challenges in the real world.
Recalling his earlier virtual participation in an IIT Delhi convocation during the Covid-19 pandemic, Modi said being physically present on the campus and sharing the occasion with the graduating students was particularly special for him.
He urged the graduates to cherish their campus memories, recalling the excitement of hostel rivalries, friendships, classroom experiences and favourite local food. Such memories, he said, would continue to energise them when they assumed greater responsibilities in life.
The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of acknowledging the contribution of professors, mentors, classmates and support staff, describing them as a “surrogate family” that supported students throughout their academic journey.
Referring to the rapidly changing geopolitical and technological environment, Modi said the world was passing through a period of unprecedented transformation. Rapid technological advancement was driving major changes across economies and societies, creating both challenges and opportunities.
“Amidst all this rapid change, remember my words: the one who continuously learns is the one who will win,” he said, stressing that lifelong learning would be crucial for success.
Modi said an IIT degree should not be viewed merely in terms of CGPA, placement packages or academic credentials. Rather, it represented a global certification of the holder’s ability to solve complex problems.
He advised students to approach major challenges by breaking them down into smaller, manageable problems, much as they would tackle complex laboratory simulations. However, he cautioned that unlike university examinations, many of life’s most important challenges would be “out of syllabus”.
The Prime Minister said true innovators were those who did not merely provide answers to questions already defined but had the courage to identify problems that society had stopped questioning.
Recalling India’s freedom struggle, Modi said an entire generation had once dedicated itself to the singular national objective of achieving independence. He challenged the present generation to similarly define its own legacy by aligning individual career choices with India’s developmental requirements over the next three decades.
He called upon the graduates to ensure that the national interest remained an important consideration in their decisions and urged them to contribute to the goal of building a Viksit Bharat.
Highlighting the government’s efforts to promote self-reliance and open new sectors to young innovators, Modi cited the transformation of the space sector, semiconductor manufacturing, drones, startups, digital payments and fintech as examples of opportunities created for India’s youth.
He said reforms in the space sector had enabled young engineers and entrepreneurs to design and launch rockets, while semiconductor manufacturing was beginning to take root domestically. The drone ecosystem, he added, was opening new possibilities in agriculture, healthcare, logistics and defence.
The Prime Minister said India’s startup ecosystem, unicorns, digital payments and fintech revolution had created unprecedented opportunities for millions of young people to pursue entrepreneurship and innovation.
He identified Artificial Intelligence, data centres, critical minerals, deep-sea exploration, quantum computing and energy security among the emerging areas that would require India’s best scientific and technological talent.
Underscoring the importance of research, Modi highlighted initiatives such as the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, which seeks to strengthen the country’s research ecosystem with funding support of up to Rs 1 lakh crore.
He also referred to the One Nation One Subscription initiative, aimed at providing researchers and academic institutions across the country access to leading international research journals without additional costs.
Modi said India needed a new research culture and called upon young scientists and engineers to take the lead in driving the country’s research and innovation agenda.
The Prime Minister also cautioned graduates against allowing social media to dictate their definition of success. He urged them not to compare salaries, placements, startup valuations or professional milestones with those of their peers.
“Life is absolutely not a leader-board; your real race is not with anyone else, it is with yourself,” he said, encouraging students to focus on continuous self-improvement and maintain their physical and mental well-being.
Congratulating the graduating students once again, Modi expressed confidence that they would use their knowledge and skills to create new opportunities, solve complex problems and contribute meaningfully to India’s journey towards a developed nation.
He wished the graduates a bright future and urged them to continue striving for greater heights while remaining connected to the larger national purpose.
