IIT Kanpur 54th Convocation: PM Modi awards ‘unforgeable’ degrees to 1,723 graduates

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur celebrated 54th convocation ceremony today, December 28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched blockchain-based digital degrees that can be verified globally and are unforgeable, IIT Kanpur said.

A total of 1,723 students received their degrees. Of the total graduates who were awarded degrees today, 194 were PhD students. About 80 prizes and medals were also conferred during the convocation event which was held in hybrid mode.

Addressing the graduates, PM Narendra Modi said, “Today is a day of double happiness for Kanpur. On one hand, Kanpur is getting metro rail facility and on other hand, the world of technology is also getting priceless gifts from IIT Kanpur.”

Today you too are stepping into the same kind of Golden Era, he said. "Every nation has a message to deliver, a mission to fulfill, a destiny to reach".

"In this 75th year of independence we have more than 75 unicorns, more than 50,000 start-ups. Of these, 10,000 have come only in the last 6 months. Today India has emerged as the second largest startup hub in the world. How many startups have been started by the youth of our IITs" PM Modi said.

आज से शुरू हुई यात्रा में आपको सहूलियत के लिए शॉर्टकट भी बहुत लोग बताएँगे।

लेकिन मेरी सलाह यही होगी कि आप comfort मत चुनना, challenge जरूर चुनना।

क्योंकि, आप चाहें या न चाहें, जीवन में चुनौतियाँ आनी ही हैं।

जो लोग उनसे भागते हैं वो उनका शिकार बन जाते हैं: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 28, 2021

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath were also present at the IIT Kanpur convocation event as guests of honour.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Yogi Adiyanath also congratulated the graduates and lauded the initiatives and new programmes launched by IIT Kanpur.

Rohini M Godbole, an Indian physicist and academic; Kris Gopalakrishnan the co-founder of Infosys and Ajoy Chakrabarty, Indian classical vocalist of the Patiala-Kasur Gharana style were conferred honorary doctorate degrees.

IIT Kanpur conducted a full-scale rehearsal of the first two sessions of the convocation ceremony on Monday, December 27. The institute also made it mandatory for graduating students to ensure that they are fully vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine and asked produce a negative RT PCR test report issued no more than 24 hours before the date of travel to Kanpur.