Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar pays tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee on 91st birth anniversary

New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday paid homage to Syama Prasad Mukherjee, saying, "It's a great day in the history of our nation. One of the finest sons of our soil, today, his Balidan Diwas is Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
Dhankhar further added, "We suffered from Article 370 for too long. It bled us and the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 and the draconian Article 35A deprived people of their basic human rights and fundamental rights. We had a visionary Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and a Home Minister in the shoes of Sardar Patel, Amit Shah. Article 370 does not exist now in our Constitution. It was abrogated on 5th August 2019, and the legal challenge to the Supreme Court failed on 11 December 2023. I, therefore, cannot be at a more befitting place than this to pay tribute to one of the finest sons of our soil. My tributes to him."
Addressing the inaugural session of the 99th Annual Meet and National Conference of Vice Chancellors (2024-2025), organised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), at Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, Dhankhar said, highlighting the National Education Policy, "I must share with you something which happened after more than 3 decades, that has really changed the landscape of our education. I am referring to the 'National Education Policy' 2020. As governor of the State of West Bengal, I was associated with it. Some major inputs -- in the hands of thousands -- were taken into consideration for the evolution of this policy."
"The policy resonates with our civilizational spirit, essence, and ethos. It is a bold reaffirmation of India's timeless belief that education is the awakening of the self, not just for the education of skills," he added.
"I have firmly believed that education is a great equaliser. Education brings about equality as no other mechanism does. Education decimates inequities. As a matter of fact, education gives life to democracy," he further stated.
Congratulating the Government of Uttar Pradesh, he stated, "My congratulations to the Government of Uttar Pradesh. The Chief Minister has done a great initiative. IT was given 'Industry Status'. That has a huge consequence for positive development. Another aspect for which UP is getting increasingly recognised is at the school education level. The transparency and accountability in administration is becoming a hallmark."
Applauding India's national progress, the Vice-President said, "India has emerged as a land of opportunity, of entrepreneurship, of startups, of innovation, of unicorns. In every parameter where growth and development can be gauged, we are rising."
On the role of universities, the Vice-President emphasised, "Our universities are not meant to just hand out degrees. The degrees must carry great weightage. Universities must be sanctuaries of ideas and ideation, crucibles of innovation. These places have to catalyse big change."
"That responsibility lies on the Vice-Chancellors in particular and the academia in general. I appeal to you, there must be space for disagreement, debate, dialogue and discussion. That is how the mind cells are activated. Abhivyakti, Vaad Vivaad, Anant Vaad -- these are inalienable facets of our civilisation, of our democracy."
Highlighting India's potential to lead in knowledge domains, he said, "When you look around the world, you'll understand its significance. The state of education defines not only the state of academics, but the state of the nation. We cannot remain perpetual students of Western innovation when our demographic dividend position says, as the world's knowledge epicenter."
"And when we look back in our ancient history, we are reminded of our rich past. It is time Bharat must build world-class institutions, not just to teach, but to pioneer. These are not mere disciplines. These are levers of assurance of our sovereignty in all times to come."
Calling for equitable expansion of higher education, the Vice-President observed, "A lot of our institutions have remained brown-field. Let us fall in line with the global groove -- let's go green. Greenfield institutions alone bring about equitable distribution. There is clusterization in metros and Tier 1 cities. Many regions remain untouched."
"Let's go in for greenfield institutions in such areas. Vice Chancellors are not only the watchdogs, but also impregnable bulwarks against the commodification and commercialisation of education. One of our fundamental objectives is to ensure affordability, reach, and accessibility of quality education for ordinary people."
Concluding his address with a call to establish leadership in emerging domains, the Vice-President asserted, "Establish institutions of uncompromising excellence in emerging domains -- artificial intelligence, climate change, climate technology, quantum science, digital ethics -- then Bharat will lead, others will follow. That's a challenge."
"Education is not just for the public good. It is our most strategic national asset. It is integrally connected not only with our development journey in infrastructure or otherwise, it assures national security also."
"Friends, I am before academicians and therefore I will reveal my thought process a little more critically for your analysis. Impossible choices define our character and strength. We must not take the easy route. Impossible choices define that we really have a great inheritance. Taking the easy path is getting into mediocrity, and then into irrelevance and insignificance."
"Universities are crucibles to generate such choices. They prepare minds. They prepare people to be intrepid -- to go in for impossible choices."
Sunil Kumar Sharma, Minister for IT and Electronics, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Education and Research Group; Vinay Kumar Pathak, President, AIU; and Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, AIU, and other dignitaries were also present. (ANI)