With the second highest literacy levels in the country, Mizoram is a truly modern state ready to take off for higher achievements, said the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind. He was addressing the 16^th convocation of Mizoram University at Aizawl today (May 5, 2022).

The President said that Mizoram is blessed with natural resources in abundance. A region which is rich in bio-diversity offers vast opportunities for research and development. However, it is our responsibility to strike the right balance between development and sustainability. The environment in this state as well as the other north-eastern states needs to be preserved with care. We must adopt practices which are beneficial not only to us but also to the nature. He praised the people of Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura for generating the least plastic waste as per a study by NITI Aayog. He said that this is a good example of responsible consumption and production. He also noted that despite busy traffic, the dutiful people of Aizawl refrain from honking. He said that this practice is worth appreciating and may be adopted by people in other cities too. 

The President said that according to progress on Goal - 4 of UN Sustainable Development Goals which pertains to providing Quality Education, NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index 2020-21 shows that Mizoram with a score of 60 performed better than the national average of 57. An interesting point that figured in the analysis was that the score for Goal - 4 ranked Aizwal as the top performer among all districts of the north-eastern states. He urged the people of Aizwal to handhold and encourage the people in the other districts of the state to improve their social indices and participate in the process of national development.

The President said that educational institutions are the incubators of the future. They not only provide training and education to students but mould them into good citizens. It is the unrelenting support of the teachers at the educational institutions and universities that plays the most prominent role in the lives of the students. He was happy to note that the faculty of Mizoram University is not only well qualified but also engaged in qualitative research work. He said that good researchers are often exceptional teachers too. Their experimental learning is better imbibed by the students. Such faculty also encourages the spirit of research and innovation.

The President said that the entrepreneurship development activities and establishment of “Technology Incubation Centers” in the Mizoram University extending support to the budding entrepreneurs to nurture their ideas with innovation and creativity is a step in the right direction. He appreciated those initiatives of the university to promote innovation and transform it into enterprise. He said that this is the key to bring about change in our society and economy.

Please click here to see the President's Speech - 

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DS/AK