Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday praised the increasing numbers of educational institutions in the country and said that these institutions like IIT, IIM, NIT, and AIIMS are the building blocks of New India.
PM Modi was addressing a Valedictory Ceremony of the Centenary celebrations of Delhi University here in the national capital on Friday. During his address, he said, “Today, across the country, universities and colleges are being built. In the last few years, the number of educational institutions like IIT, IIM, NIT, AIIMS are continuously increasing. These institutions are the building blocks of New India.”
Appreciating Delhi University on 100 years of its establishment, PM Modi said that DU is not just a university, it’s a movement and it has brought life to every movement.
“Delhi University has completed 100 years when the nation celebrates 75 years of independence. Delhi University is not just a university, but a movement. This university has lived every movement and has brought life to every movement”, he said.
Highlighting the improved gender ratio in the country, PM said that today the number of girls studying at Delhi University is more than boys.
“DU used to have only three colleges, and now there are more than 90 colleges that are part of the university. Today, more girls study at DU than boys. Similarly, in India, the gender ratio has improved a lot. It means the deeper the roots of academic institutions in the country, the higher the branches of the country that touch the sky,” he said.
“There was a time when India used to come under the list of fragile economies and today it is among the top five economies in the world,” he added.
Mentioning the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking in which 45 Indian institutions got ranked for the first time, the Prime Minister said that the global recognition of Indian Universities is increasing.
The Prime Minister said, “The global recognition of Indian Universities is increasing today. In 2014, only 12 Indian universities were there in QS World University Rankings, now it has risen to 45. To improve the quality of educational institutes, we are working continuously. There were around 100 startups in India before 2014, today the number has crossed 1 lakh”.
He also noted the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) deal, done between India and US and said that this agreement will create new opportunities for the youth of the country.
