Bhagalpur: Governor-cum-chancellor of universities, Syed Ata Hasnain, conferred degrees on 443 students who completed courses in various agricultural streams at the ninth convocation of Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) on Friday.Of the graduates, 234 were girls and 209 boys, underlining the growing importance of agricultural courses among girls. Among them, 339 were from undergraduate (BSc) agriculture, 91 from postgraduate (MSc) streams and 13 were PhD scholars, including seven female researchers.The chancellor felicitated Debjit Chakraborty for best PhD thesis, while associate professor-cum-senior research scientist Dr Shweta Shambhavi received the best teacher award. Rakhi Priya, Anshu, Amisha Kumari, Rajat Kumar, Nivedita Deo, Shilpy Kumari and Sushma Priya were honoured for academic excellence.Hasnain also launched the ‘SAMARTH’ portal and released research publications. He inaugurated a newly built swimming pool, planted saplings to promote afforestation and visited research centres focused on climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable farming practices.Earlier, he was given a guard of honour on arrival. Stressing the importance of education, Hasnain said, “The economy of the state of Bihar and the country is based on agriculture and the benefits of technological advancements and research would bring socio-economic changes in the lives of farmers and society.”Motivating students, he said, “Work is worship,” urging them to become employment providers rather than seekers. “The passing-out students should work with dedication for the state and the nation,” he added.Vice-chancellor D R Singh said the university had made a global impact through quality education and infrastructure, including smart classrooms and digital systems.Several public representatives and officials were present at the event.
