New Delhi:

Bharat is rising as never before, it is unstoppable and is slated to become Viksit even ahead of 2047, said Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday.

He was speaking at the 12th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) – Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

“This century belongs to Bharat. We do not doubt it because Bharat is on the rise as never before and the rise is unstoppable. The rise is incremental,” VP Dhankhar said.

“Personally for me, I think Bharat will be Viksit Bharat ahead of 2047. I do not doubt it.”

He called the students “important stakeholders, the driving force” behind India’s successful journey towards 2047.

Lauding the scientific community, the VP said, “There is hardly any technological gap between Bharat and the most developed nations.”

Further, he cited technological advancement in the country, like the Lithium-ion battery developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which can be useful in the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem in the country.

“The government has taken the initiative with respect to certain minerals to put them in the private sector and that is why we are engaged with Lithium,” VP Dhankhar informed.

He also stressed the importance of disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and blockchain which “are both opportunities and challenges.”

On quantum computing machines, VP Dhankhar said, “India is among the few countries in the world where allocation has been made for 6,000 crore.”

“Our green hydrogen mission with a commitment of 80,000 crore and has the potential to generate 6 lakh jobs investment of 8 lakh crores. We have enough,” he said.

VP Dhankhar stated that the days of conventional warfare are gone. Instead “intellectual and technological innovations emerging from our laboratories” will determine India’s “position and geo-political strength”.

He stressed the importance of investing in technological advancement to secure boundaries.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

 Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among a host of prominent leaders who wished President Droupadi Murmu a long and healthy life on her 66th birthday on Thursday.

Scores of citizens and various leaders took to microblogging platform ‘X’ to wish President Murmu, while some dignitaries called on her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

“On my birthday, I am delighted to receive warm wishes from fellow citizens. Your love and bonding is a source of energy and inspiration for me. I express my thankfulness and wish everyone a bright future,” the president said on X.

On my birthday, I am delighted to receive warm wishes from fellow citizens. Your love and bonding is a source of energy and inspiration for me. I express my thankfulness and wish everyone a bright future.

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) June 20, 2024

She started her day by visiting the Lord Jagannath temple in Delhi where she prayed for the welfare of all citizens.

“Jai Jagannath! Today I visited the Jagannath temple in Delhi and prayed for the welfare of all countrymen and also (wished) that our country continues to set new standards of progress,” the president’s office said in another post on X, in Hindi, along with pictures of the visit.

President Murmu was born on June 20, 1958 at Uparbeda village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj. She was sworn in as the country’s 15th President on July 25, 2022.

In his birthday greetings to President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi said the president’s “wisdom and emphasis on serving the poor and marginalised are a strong guiding force”.

“Warm birthday wishes to Rashtrapati Ji. Her exemplary service and dedication to our nation inspire us all. Her wisdom and emphasis on serving the poor and marginalised are a strong guiding force,” Modi said in a post on X.

“Her life journey gives hope to crores of people. India will always be grateful to her for her tireless efforts and visionary leadership. May she be blessed with a long and healthy life,” he added.

“Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar along with his wife Dr Sudesh Dhankhar called on President Droupadi Murmu and conveyed birthday greetings to the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan,” read another post on X by her office.

Earlier in the day, the president had visited Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities in New Delhi where she spent time with ‘Divyang’ (diffrently-abled) children, students and witnessed a cultural performance by them.

President Murmu also visited the renovated Prosthesis and Orthosis Centre here and interacted with patients.

She also inaugurated MITTI cafe, which is managed by differently-abled people, in the President’s Estate. She spent time in the cafe and celebrated her birthday with the staff.

MITTI is an award winning non-profit organisation that provides employment and experiential training to adults with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities.

The MITTI cafe is a movement towards an inclusive society where everyone, regardless of their abilities, has the opportunity to thrive and contribute.

The non-profit organisation is creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities and creating awareness about disability through cafes, community meals and skill development initiatives, the president’s secretariat said.

President Murmu also interacted with children of President’s Estate who had participated in summer camp and art workshops organised in Rashtrapati Bhavan during their vacation.

Former president Ram Nath Kovind along with his family members met President Murmu and conveyed birthday greetings to her.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Ministers of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary and Sukanta Majumdar, also called on President Murmu to wish her.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and his spouse, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh along with Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita and Minister of State for Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan also met the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has written to engineer-turned-philanthropist Sudha Murty congratulating her on her nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

Mr Dhankhar, who is ex-officio chairman of the Upper House, exuded confidence that Murty will effectively utilise her cross-cultural experiences in the hallowed precincts of the temple of democracy.

“Congratulations on your nomination to the Council of States, reflecting the resolute faith and confidence in your spirit of public service. My best wishes for success in this constitutional responsibility. I am confident that you will avail this opportunity to effectively utilize cross-cultural experiences in the hallowed precincts of temple of democracy,” Mr Dhankhar said in the letter.

“I look forward to working with you, leveraging your rich knowledge and domain expertise, in legislative proceedings through wholesome debate, discussion and deliberation. May your term be characterized by growth, progress and memorable experiences that exemplify discipline and decorum worth emulation and admiration,” he added.

Ms Murty, 73, took oath as Rajya Sabha MP on March 14.

The former chairperson of Infosys Foundation and the author of several books, mostly for children, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on International Women’s Day.

She is also renowned for her contribution to Kannada and English literature and is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar, the Padma Shri (2006) and the Padma Bhushan (2023).

Ms Murty, who was the first woman engineer to have worked with TELCO, is famously known to have provided the seed capital of ₹10,000 from her emergency funds to her husband N R Narayana Murthy to start Infosys, which now has a market cap of over USD 80 billion.

Her daughter Akshata is married to British Prime Minister Rishi Suna

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)