Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday here told the newly graduated students of Delhi University that they have the key to Viksit Bharat@2047, unlock it.  He also said the centenary convocation of the Delhi University in the 75th year of the Republic is much more than an ceremony.  This is a launch pad.  It is somewhat similar to the ISRO rocket launch pad at Sriharikota, Dhankhar said.

He made these assertions while addressing the 100th convocation of Delhi University and said this safe launch pad will take you not only to new destinations but also to new heights inspired by the elixir you have gathered in this university.

In a first, the Delhi University conferred over one lakh students with special degree certificates with prominence given to their mother’s name besides heightened ‘currency like’ security features at the 100th convocation ceremony of the varsity.  The Vice President awarded the degrees.

Clad in traditional Indian attire and newly designed handloom fabric angvastras (stole), the students received the special degree with 17 security features at the centenary year of the Delhi University.

“It is a historic moment for me. Getting my degree at the 100th convocation ceremony of the Delhi University is like a dream come true. The security features added in the new degrees is a very good step taken by the university. We don’t have to worry about its security or durability,” Sandeep Sharma, a PhD holder from DU’s History department, said.

 â€œIt is a special experience. The initiative taken by the Delhi University to secure degree certificates will benefit the students in many ways,” added Bhavana Bansal Gupta, a teaching faculty at Miranda House college, who received her PhD degree during the event.

Applauding the changes introduced in the degree certificates, Dhankhar said, “What a monumental event. The degree awarded to the students will have a host of new embellishments. Most impactful being the students mother’s name and the student’s coloured photograph.”

During the ceremony, the postgraduate students were seen wearing gold-bordered turquoise stoles featuring the university’s logo and Shatabdi logo on both sides.  The undergraduate students donned yellow stoles, while Ph.D, Doctorate of Medicine and Master of Chirurgiae students pulled on red stoles.

 Starting this year, the Delhi University’s degrees will be embellished with the student’s mother’s name printed on the top of the degree along with a colour photograph of the student.  These degrees have been equipped with about 17 security features, including micro-text, hidden image, invisible ink logo, barcode and QR code to avoid duplication or forgery.

This is the first batch to receive DU’s special degree certificates, according to the varsity officials.  1,38,020 students, including 58,545 male and 79,475 female, were awarded degrees during the event of which 1,30,697 are undergraduate, 7,323 postgraduate and 659 PhD students.

Addressing the students, Dhankhar said your learning does not end with degree, you have to always be engaged in learning. Learning is a lifelong activity and it is our commitment to humanity. Youleave as an alumnus of this great university with the determination to always make yourself, your parents, your friends, the alma mater and the nation proud.

Concluding his address, the Vice President appealed to the students to say, “Remember, you all are an important part of the marathon journey of Bharat@2047. Its success rests on your shoulders, I have full hope and confidence that the nation will succeed, because you cannot afford to fail. You are the architects not only of your own destiny, but also of our shared future.”

Vice Chancellor of University of Delhi Professor Yogesh Singh presided over the function and presented a detailed account of the glorious journey of 101 years of the university. He called upon the graduating students to maintain the high standards of the University such as ethics, honesty, hard work, humility and determination in their lives.