President Droupadi Murmu on Monday emphasised the necessity to reflect on the absence of any educational institution from India, a nation with the world's oldest knowledge tradition, among the top 50 in the world.

During her address at the 69th convocation of IIT Kharagpur, Murmu stressed the need for good education over rankings but acknowledged that a good ranking not only attracts students and faculty worldwide but also enhances the country's reputation.

"Not even a single educational institution of such a vast country with the world's oldest knowledge tradition is among the top 50 educational institutions of the world. We need to think about it. The race for ranking is not more important than a good education. But good ranking not only attracts students and good faculty from all over the world but also enhances the reputation of the country,” she said.

President Murmu called upon IIT Kharagpur, the oldest IIT in the country, to make efforts in this direction.

"Institutions like IIT Kharagpur will have to play an important role through innovation and technology. They will have to make revolutionary efforts to develop technology and implement it," she added.

She commended the institute for aligning with the government's policy of internationalisation and global collaboration.

"IIT Kharagpur is working on alliances and collaborations with other global institutions. This step will not only help in establishing IIT Kharagpur at the international level but will also be a big step towards giving global recognition to the Indian education system," she said.

Highlighting the importance of technology in promoting social justice and equality, she said that everyone should have the rights to technology.

"We believe that everyone should have the right to technology. We believe that the use of technology must be for promoting social justice and equality, rather than increasing disparities in society," the President said.

She cited the example of digital payment systems, highlighting how technology has simplified life, even benefiting small traders.

Murmu said the IITs have a global reputation.

"IITs are considered incubation centres of talent and technology. IIT Kharagpur has the distinction of being the first such institute in the country. This institution has nurtured great talents in its journey of almost 73 years and its contribution to the development of the country is unmatched," she said.

The President said today India is scaling new heights, setting new standards and emerging as a major world power.

"We look forward to finding solutions to the challenges facing the world in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. In this Amrit Kaal of India, the golden age will come only by churning through technology," she added.

"Computerisation, solar energy, genomics and large language models are some of the experiments that have the potential to bring revolutionary changes in social life. Diseases that seemed incurable 150 years ago are now treated almost free of cost. People's standard of living is getting better. The role of technology is important in making this world better and inclusive," Murmu said.

She urged all to develop a growth-oriented, futuristic and curious mindset. She said along with this, they should have a feeling of gratitude towards the nation and society for their wonderful present.

Pointing out that 21 per cent of the students who had received degrees on the occasion were women, Murmu said, "More women should come forward to study science and technology." Director VK Tewari said by 2030, IIT Kharagpur will be among the top 10 higher educational institutions in the world.

Tiwari said over 3,200 students were awarded degrees during the convocation.

He said that the institute has initiated several national mission projects, and collaborations with institutions like ISRO, DRDO, and ONGC among others.

This year the premier institution conferred DSc Honoris Causa to Google CEO Sundar Pichai (in absentia), reputed Sanskrit scholar Mahamahopadhyay Bhadreshdas Swami, electrical engineering entrepreneur Ravinder Nath Khanna and entrepreneur Ajit Jain.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Prof Ramchandra Prabhakar Gokam.

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