Hyderabad: A total of 350 scholars received their degrees and 80 scholars received gold medals at the 81st convocation of Osmania University on Wednesday on its campus.
Addressing the scholars, Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy, chairman of Defence research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said, “Today marks a great day as you are armed with your academic achievements. I am confident that in the days and years ahead, you will bring laurels to yourself and to this nation. ‘Strength respects strength’ was the spirit instilled in us by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the ‘People’s President’ and former chief of DRDO. He famously stated that the systems developed by the DRDO were capable of delivering flowers, not just warheads. True freedom is possible only in a strong and self-reliant nation.”
He said the Centre had embarked on a very important programme ‘Aatmanirbhar Abhiyaan, which encouraged design, development and production of state-of-the-art systems within India. This initiative would also boost the country’s exports and thereby help the economy grow. This programme requires R&D institutes, academia and industry to work hand-in-hand and provide quality products and services, he added.
“In the last 10 years, private industries have graduated from mere component producers to a challenging role of developing state-of-the-art sub-systems and systems. For instance, more than 70 per cent of the supplies for the Akash missile system are coming from a conglomerate of private industries. Hence, it is evident that private industry is going through transformation to handle greater challenges,” he said.
Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana and Chancellor of Osmania University, who presided over the convocation along with Vice Chancellor Prof. D. Ravinder, said, “I congratulate all of you for successful completion of your campus life. It also marks the beginning of your actual career journey in life. The days ahead might challenge you and test you in real life conditions. The strength of the character plays a vital role in your success.”
During her speech, the Governor also congratulated the scientists and doctors in India who tirelessly worked hard to bring out Indian vaccination against the Coronavirus.
Dr Soundararajan urged the scholars to dare to Innovate. “Science, technology, research, development, innovation, and human values are vital for the progress of any country. Our educational institutions need to transform into centres of excellence in research, development and innovation,” she said.
The scholars, who were dressed in all white, expressed happiness after receiving certificates, which is the result of their hard work.
