Guwahati: President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that Assam is gifted with the extraordinary beauty of nature and rich bio-diversity and needed to be preserved.
Speaking at the convocation ceremony of Tezpur University, Kovind said that every resident of Assam, especially the youth has to be very active on the fronts of conservation and sustainable development.
The President observed that Assam has done a commendable job in conserving bio-diversity. “Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve” are impressive examples of conservation and conservation must be the watchword for every citizen, especially the student community”, Kovind said.
He urged the youth to take more responsibility. “The young population has greater stakes in keeping the planet green and they have to demonstrate greater awareness through their action”, The president observed. Noting that the North-Eastern states give high priority to organic farming, the President said that Tezpur University can play a major role in branding and marketing of agricultural produce of this region.
Referring to the unique Joha rice of Assam which is known for its excellent taste and aroma, he said that universities of Assam can help the farmers by branding, popularising and marketing this unique variety of rice. Many such agricultural products can be promoted, he added.
Pointing to the fact that academic activities have been affected by the Covid pandemic, the President said that the pandemic has had a serious impact on the education of the relatively vulnerable sections of our people. He further said that the National Education Policy 2020 which was released during the pandemic contains a specific focus on digital education with the help of technology.
The president highlighted the importance of “Digital University” and urged Tezpur University to become an active stakeholder in this initiative, especially by providing high-quality digital content in Assamese and other languages of the North-East. Taking part in the event as the Guest of Honour, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam congratulated the graduating students for the successful completion of their Degrees and Diplomas.
He mentioned the importance of Tezpur as a city, which he described as one of the important cities of Assam and has been of immense importance since prehistoric times. He also reminded everyone that Tezpur University was established as an offshoot of the historic Assam Accord and recalled the contribution of martyrs of the historic Assam Agitation on this special occasion.
The CM also announced that the government of Assam will construct a multi-purpose hall for the University. Addressing the gathering, Sarma further explained the difference between “Education and knowledge” by quoting noted scholar and first Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University Krishnakanta Handique.
“There is a difference between education and knowledge, the purpose of the school-college education is to make it suitable for the student life. However, the pursuit of knowledge is a solemn promise, which is a special form of life itself”, he said.
A total of 1249 students received their degrees and diplomas in the Convocation, out of which 401 were undergraduate, 717 postgraduate, 68 are PG Diplomas and 63 were PhDs. Among the degree recipients, 45 toppers of various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes received Gold Medals.
