‘Don’t choose comfort, choose challenge’, says Narendra Modi to students at 54th convocation ceremony of IIT-Kanpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT-Kanpur on Tuesday. He also launched blockchain-based digital degrees at the event.

At the convocation, all the students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the institute under the National Blockchain Project. These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable.

Speaking to the gathering, the prime minister congratulated the students and said that they have scaled these heights with the support of their parents, relatives, friends, teachers and others. He thanked them and asked the students to thank them as well.

He said, “When you took admission in IIT Kanpur and now when you are leaving, then and now, you must be feeling a huge change in yourself. Before coming here there was a fear of the unknown and now there is query of unknown.

Kanpur is one of the few cities in India that is so diverse, the prime minister said, adding that it is home to Satti Chaura Ghat, Madari Pasi, Nana Saheb and Batukeshwar Dutt. “When we visit this city, it seems as if we are traveling to the glorious past comprising sacrifices of the freedom struggle. People who were young men of 20-25 years in the 1930s, their journey and the achievement of independence in 1947 was the golden phase of their life. Today you are also stepping into the same kind of golden era,” he said.

“The 21st century is technology driven and its influence will only grow. It is the time for challenges and technology and I believe you will emerge victorious in these battles. And this winning attitude runs in the youth today. Earlier, people wanted to just get their work done but today people want to achieve something. Earlier people evaded problems, now people meet them head-on and find resolutions”, the prime minister said.