VTU awards degrees to 74,763 students as minister urges graduates to apply technology responsibly

Visvesvaraya Technological University awarded degrees to 74,763 undergraduate students and 329 PhD scholars at its 26th annual convocation in Belagavi on Saturday, as Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara urged graduates to use technology for the benefit of society. Speaking as chief guest at the university’s Jnana Sangama campus, Parameshwara said graduates would assume greater responsibilities as they entered professional life.

He said some of those receiving degrees could go on to develop artificial intelligence companies, advance renewable energy, transform agriculture or address social problems. The Deputy Chief Minister said artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and satellite development were changing industries and creating new opportunities. He urged engineers to keep updating their skills, describing AI as essential rather than optional and emphasising that learning should continue throughout their careers.

Parameshwara also cautioned graduates against taking shortcuts. Using the example of a bridge built too quickly, he said work that did not receive the necessary time and effort would not produce lasting results. He asked students to recognise the contribution of teachers, parents and friends to their achievements.

He described VTU as a leading university and said its examination and administrative reforms had earned recognition in engineering education, research and innovation. He said universities should nurture ideas, innovation and research rather than function merely as institutions that produce graduates. Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi announced that VTU would introduce aviation and railway engineering courses to improve employment opportunities.

An expert committee will design the job-oriented programmes and help the university pursue a place among the country’s top 10 universities, he said. Thirty-eight students received VTU gold medals, while 49 received endowment gold medals with cash prizes and seven received endowment medals without cash prizes. In total, 45 students were honoured with 94 gold medals.