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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 22 December, began his address at the centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) via video conferencing. PM Modi showered praise on the university and its history of education.
“The history of education attached to AMU buildings is India's valuable heritage...I often meet AMU alumni during my foreign visits, who very proudly say that they've studied from AMU,” the PM said.
“Today, people who have been trained by AMU are among the best firms and institutions in India as well as hundreds of countries in the world. The educated people of AMU represent the culture of India, wherever they are in the world,” PM Modi said on Tuesday.
He also said that in the past 100 years, AMU has worked to empower India's relations with many countries in the world.
The PM praised AMU’s efforts amid the COVID-19 crisis, saying that the way AMU has been helping the society is unprecedented.
“Getting free tests of thousands of people, creating isolation wards, creating plasma banks and contributing large sums of money to PM care funds shows the seriousness of fulfilling your obligations towards society,” he said during his address.
He added, “As a centre of excellent Islamic Research, it’s also the responsibility of AMU to spread the core values and ethos of India to the world.”
‘Don’t Look at Development Through a Political Lens’
PM Modi urged everyone find a common ground, just like the freedom fighters did during India’s battle for independence.
“The vision of a ‘New India’ refers to an India where we don’t look at development through a political lens.” He said, adding that “The country is marching forward on the path where every citizen would get the benefits of development happening in the country without any discrimination.”
Speaking on the topic education of girls, PM Modi said that “School drop out rate among Muslim girls was more than 70 percent and this situation persisted for 70 years. After the Swachh Bharat Mission built toilets in villages and toilets for school-going girls, this rate has fallen to nearly 30 percent.”
Further, he said, “Whether education is offline or online, it should reach everyone, be equal for everyone and change everyone’s lives. This is the aim that we work towards.”
‘AMU Gives Energy to India’s Cultural Ties with Rest of the Muslim World’
Lauding the University, PM Modi went on to say, “The research undertaken here on Urdu, Farsi, Arabic and Islamic literature provides energy to India’s cultural ties with the rest of the Islamic world.”
“The country is marching forward on the path where every citizen would get the benefits of development happening in the country without any discrimination. The country is on the path where every citizen should be rest assured about their constitutional rights and their future. The country is on the path where no citizen would be left behind because of their religion and everyone would get equal opportunities so that everyone can fulfil their dreams. Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas is the mantra behind it,” he said.
“The diversity which we see here is not only the strength of this university but also of the entire nation,” PM Modi added in his address, referring to Aligarh Muslim University as a ‘mini India.’
PM Modi was the Chief Guest at the celebration, while Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was the Guest of Honour.
PM Modi also released a postal stamp during Tuesday’s event. This is the first time PM Modi is participating in a programme of the Aligarh Muslim University.
Chancellor of the University Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin was also present on the occasion.
University VC Thanks PM Modi
The University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Mansoor had earlier thanked the PM for accepting the invitation to participate in the celebrations marking 100 years of the university and said, "The outreach of the university during this historical year would immensely help in the growth and development of the university and placement of our students in the private and public sectors."
He had also added that, “Centenary is a great landmark achievement in the history of any university. AMU and its various units as well as Alumni Associations have been organising various programmes attended by illustrious people from diverse fields through the virtual mode following the Government of India’s guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.”
AMU became a University in 1920, through an Act of Indian Legislative Council by elevating the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College to the status of a Central University. MAO College was set up in 1877 by Syed Ahmad Khan. The university has a campus spread over 467.6 hectares of land in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. It also has three off-campus centres in Malappuram (Kerala), Murshidabad-Jangipur (West Bengal) and Kishanganj (Bihar).
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