Nishikant Khajuria
KAKRIYAL (KATRA), Apr 18: Anguished over Rassana murder case, President Ram Nath Kovind today condemned the incident as `shameful’ and said that there was need to introspect on what kind of society we are developing into.
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“Such an incident happening in our country even after 70 years of independence is shameful. We all have to think where we are going. What kind of society are we developing into and what are we giving to our future generation”, he said while addressing the 6th Convocation of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) here today in the presence of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Governor N N Vohra and others.
The President said that crimes against children are a deep concern for humanity and there was a need for a firm resolve to provide safety to children. “It is responsibility of all of us that in any part of the country there should not be such happening with any sister or daughter,” he said and hoped that each one of the society would shoulder responsibility towards these daughters.
“The most important is security of our children. Safety of children and ensure that they feel secure is the first responsibility of any society,” the President added
Lamenting that children have been becoming targets of serious crimes in some or other part of the country and particularly referring to the Rassana incident, the President said it was the responsibility of all of us that it do not happen with any of our sisters or daughters. “Recently an innocent girl child in this part of the country has become victim of such heinous and shameful crime, which can not be even imagined,” he said.
“Are we developing such a society where our mothers, sisters and daughters are getting their right of justice, equality and freedom as enshrined by the Constitution of India?”, he asked and called for a resolve to provide security and safety to girl child across the nation.
Maintaining that good education makes students good human beings and people who have sensitivity and sense of equality towards others, the President said a good human being remains good in every field. “If he becomes a doctor, becomes a good doctor and if he becomes an engineer, a good engineer, which is better for society”, he added.
The President complimented the students who have passed out from the university and said that girl students have done exceptionally well by securing eight out of the 12 gold medals.
“I and the entire country feel proud of these girls who have been marching ahead due to their hard work and intelligence,” he said.
He said that women from various parts of the country have also done exceptionally well in the Commonwealth Games this year and made India proud.
Among them included Merry Kom, Manika Batra, Mira Bhai, Sanjita, Manu Baker, Vinesh Phoghat, Saina Nehwal, Ashwani Ponpa, Tejeswani, Heena Sidhu, Poonam Yadav and Shriyasi Singh, he said.
“And when we talk of women, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti cannot be forgotten as she has followed the footprints of her father Mufti Sahab and is leading the State in the difficult period,” the President said.
Earlier, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, in her address on the occasion, also made a reference of Rassana incident and lamented that there seemed something seriously wrong in our changing value system.
“When we talks of value system, I fear it is under real crisis. The recent happening against weaker and underprivileged, especially females are alarming and shameful to a society,” she said.
“This place in the Trikuta Hills is known to be abode of Goddess Vaishno Devi. The entire set of rituals in this part of the State revolves around `Kanya Pujan’ (worshipping of girl child). It shocks me so how did anybody can do such a heinous act against one such living form of Mata in our own land,” Mehbooba said.
Asking universities to act as nurseries of good citizens and not mere examining bodies, the Chief Minister stressed that our material growth becomes meaningless if we are unable to become good human beings with compassion, humility and inclusive sense.
“The universities have to work on a two-pronged strategy of diffusing scientific, technical and professional knowledge on the one hand and inculcate value system in youth as an integral part of education on the other,” she said and appealed the students to re invoke among themselves the urge to innovate and do things differently, in order to bring around a change for better.
The Chief Minister said stress should be laid on developing a value system free from aberrations and excesses against the weak. “While the endeavor to create a knowledge-based society must be there, we must also make value education an integral part of all our learning efforts,” she added.
The Chief Minister further said that Jammu and Kashmir has traditionally been a fountain of knowledge and spirituality. She said spiritualism has always instilled scholarship and knowledge among the masses in the State the examples of which are galore in history from Sharda Peeth to Shahdara Sharief which reflects our deep commitment to knowledge, scholarship and tolerance for differences and ideas.
Welcoming the President, Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion, Mehbooba Mufti said his life, work and struggle represent the best combination of scholarship, talent and wisdom. “His struggle, against all odds, proves that with hard work, our country offers the very best opportunities to succeed, even to the most deprived sections of our society,” she added.
Governor N N Vohra, who is Chancellor of the University and presided over the Convocation, conferred Honoris Causa on Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman Bharti Enterprises Ltd and Pawan Munjal, Chairman Managing Director and CEO, Hero Moto Corp Ltd.
Governor awarded 882 degrees, including PhDs, Masters and Bachelors degrees, and presented 9 Silver Medals to meritorious students. He also gave away 10 Gold Medals to the toppers.
In his address, Governor recalled the objectives of the establishment of SMVDU and informed that presently there are 1675 students of whom about 25 percent are from 23 States of the country, about 46 percent of the total number of students are girls and nearly 3600 students had passed out since the establishment of this University. “It is a matter for considerable satisfaction that though still in its infancy this University has been ranked among the top 100 Engineering Institutions in the country and finds its place within the top 150 Universities of the country as per the recently concluded NIRF 2018,” he said.
Governor said that for the passing out students, the Convocation marks the culmination of their hard work when, with degrees in their hands, they cross the portals of the University to seek employment or pursue higher studies. He also asked all the passing out students to maintain high ethical and moral standards in their personal lives as well as in the course of all their future professional engagements, wherever they chose to work.
First Lady, Savita Kovind was present on the occasion. State Government Ministers, Legislators, Vice Chancellors of various Universities, members of the Executive Council of the varsity, Chief Secretary, Members of the SMVD Shrine Board, senior civil and Police officers, Principal Secretary to the Governor, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, prominent personalities from various walks of life, Registrar, Deans, Directors, Heads of Departments, Faculty Members, students of the University and their parents were also present on the occasion.
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