Mukherjee tells Central varsities to adopt villages

President Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday that central varsities across India should adopt villages and mobilise resource persons to empower rural people in these adopted villages.

Addressing graduates at the second convocation of the six-year-old Central University of Karnataka (CUK) at ESIC Medical Education Complex Auditorium, Mukherjee said that each of the 41 central universities in the country should adopt at least five villages and transform them in to progressive model villages by finding solutions to problems faced by people in these rural communities.

Mukherjee, who is also the CUK visitor,  said that central varsities should mobilise resource persons and experts to provide solutions to the  wide range of issues concerning the adopted villages and thus usher in a progressive, ‘equal India’. He added that the initiative will also help achieve what the great Upanishads calls for- everyone to be happy, free from illness and sufferings.

Development schemes
The president also highlighted some of the schemes and initiatives of the NDA government for rural empowerment. He referred  to the Samsad Adarsh Gram Yojana launched with the objective to develop model villages with improved basic amenities, enhanced human development, access to rights and entitlements and wider social mobilisation. He also noted that financial inclusion, creation of digital infrastructure and  Swachh Bharat Abhiyan have been dovetailed in to the scheme.

Underlining the need for higher educational institutions to become tech savvy, Mukherjee said that the present educational system has to gear up to meet the challenges of access, affordability and quality. He opined that technology-led models could offer viable solutions in the education and skills delivery landscape.

Online courses can work well for a country like India  and mobile phone technology can also act as an enabler for formal and vocational education, he added.

Gold medals awarded
On the occasion, the president awarded gold medals to 48 students who had secured highest marks in different courses and programmes. As many as 744 students of four batches, from  2010-12, were awarded degrees and convocation certficates.

CUK Vice Chancellor HM Maheshwaraiah, Chief minister Siddaramaiah, Minority Welfare Minister Qamarul Islam, MP Mallikarjun Kharge, among others were present on the occasion.