President of India Droupadi Murmu addressing the 52nd convocation and centenary year celebrations of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) on October 9 said that the number of girl students should be increased in technical educational institutions to give more impetus to the progress of the country. The President wished the graduating students of this institute are capable of converting opportunities into success and possibilities into certainties. Ms Murmu reminded students of their duties towards the motherland, saying, "they are the builders of India of tomorrow. It is expected from them that they will use the knowledge acquired in this prestigious institution in the service of humanity too." ALSO READ | JEE Advanced 2022 Result: AIR 3 Topper Thomas Biju Of Kerala Aspires To Do CSE From IIT Bombay
The President lauded the Punjab Engineering College for contributing to the global technological change. The Punjab Engineering College has good infrastructure and appropriate resources on a par with the National Education Policy - 2020 and will continue to strive towards excellence. "It is a premier institute of the country as well as a harbinger of technical education in this region," said the president. READ MORE | NIRF Rankings 2022: IIT Madras Tops In Engineering Colleges
The president also highlighted the rich memories of the institute which provided many luminaries to the country- former Chairman of ISRO and father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India, Prof. Satish Dhawan; eminent educationist and founder-Director of IIT, Delhi, Prof. R.N. Dogra; an expert in Missiles Technology and Strategic Systems, Dr. Satish Kumar. The president said, "Kalpana Chawla, alumna of PEC's Aeronautical Engineering Department, became the first woman astronaut of Indian origin who created an inspiring history of self-sacrifice for science."
She urged students to keep Mahatma Gandhi's message of ‘Sarvodaya' in their individual priorities and put into practice the values of the ‘Father of the Nation'.