SRCC holds 93rd Annual Day, awards dignitaries in appreciation of their work

Shri Ram College of Commerce held its ninety-third (93rd) Annual Day, inviting Chief Guest Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister and alumnus and also the Guest of Honour Navtej Singh Sarna, an alumnus and former Indian Ambassador to the United States of America were received by the Chairman, Mr. Ajay S. Shriram and the Principal Prof. Simrit Kaur.

Shriram welcomed the guests and addressed the SRCC fraternity gathered to commemorate one of the most important days in the College Calendar. In his address, the Chairman said, “Opportunities in higher education are expanding rapidly with new private colleges, new universities and international institutions. Students have choices and only the best colleges will get recognition. We need to therefore raise our standards continuously to maintain our leadership position.” He added, “To take the same forward the Management Committee has prepared a strategic plan, with a road map for the college to be undertaken over the next seven years (in line with the college centenary in 2026). We have therefore appointed a consulting firm with experience in implementing higher educational projects in India. They will build on the strategic plan mainly covering: Enhancement of Academic Standards, Faculty Development, Research, Industry Consultancy, International Collaborations, Social Consciousness, Alumni Connect and Infrastructure.”

Prof. Simrit Kaur presented the College Annual Report 2018-19 highlighting achievements as also the events and activities of the college. In the past year the college has organized international conferences and workshops for students and faculty. SRCC has also signed MoUs to collaborate actively with other institutions like RBI Academy, ICLS Academy, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government College for Women, Jammu, as also with three institutions abroad: Melbourne Business School, Australia; Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand and Gedu College of Business Studies, Gedu, Bhutan.

The Guest of Honour, Navtej Singh Sarna expressed his excitement to be back in his alma mater. “Everything looks changed in the campus both structurally as well as conceptually. But one thing that has not changed in the last forty years is the fire in the belly. That remains the same.”

Arun Jaitley emphasized the role of the college as a quality institution that has shaped many a business leader. Referring to his student days, Arun Jaitley reminisced how India has changed and how the opportunities and challenges faced by current students are very different from what they had to confront earlier.

Jaitley said, “It is always a privilege to be here from where many of us passed out and I am sure that 20-40 years down the road most of you will also be nostalgic. I often mention about the different level of opportunities available then and now. What is this country going to be like? Today our Indian economy is oscillating between 5th and 6th largest, depending upon what the dollar rate is. In 2011, the census showed that India had 21.9% of its population below the poverty level and I am assuming that it should be approx. 17-18% now. You see an exponential growth and that is because of huge aspirations of those who come from a less privileged background. Once they improve their quality of life they aspire to be at a higher level. Till about 18-20 years ago, we had no concept that we needed global infrastructure. Till about early nineties our entire emphasis was how we would develop our own technology. The benefit of technology is that the whole world is connected now. We must have a global perspective. In a globally connected economic order, a new India has emerged that the world can no longer ignore. It is a young and aspirational India that wanted to excel in all fields of work.”

The college publications like Business Analyst and Yamuna Magazine and others were released. Awards and prizes were given out to outstanding alumni and students by the dignitaries in appreciation of the meritorious work done by them. Here a glimpse of Ashwajit Singh, MD, IPE Global on receiving the ‘Distinguished Alumni Award’ Shri Ram College of Commerce, from the honorable Finance Minister of India, Shri Arun Jaitley.