Patna: Character-building must be the foundation of nation-building, and education must go beyond degrees to create disciplined, responsible and patriotic citizens, Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai told freshers at Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), at Pusa on Tuesday.Addressing 343 newly-admitted undergraduate students as chief guest at the university’s flagship ‘Deeksharambh’ induction programme, Rai said academic excellence had to be complemented by moral values, discipline, physical fitness and a strong sense of national responsibility.Calling Pusa the “motherland of agricultural research”, Rai added: “Pusa is now also becoming the motherland of Deeksharambh.” He said it was the first time he had addressed an induction programme, despite regularly attending convocation ceremonies across universities and police academies.Rai praised RPCAU’s 21-day Deeksharambh programme, saying its strength lay in the carefully designed modules aimed at the all-round development of students. The programme combines yoga and physical wellness with communication skills, personality development, dining etiquette, public speaking, debates, mock Parliament, music, drama and Mithila painting, besides interactions with eminent personalities.He noted that the RPCAU model proved so successful that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) made Deeksharambh mandatory for agricultural universities in 2023, before its concept was extended to universities nationwide in 2025.Vice-chancellor P S Pandey said he had conceptualised the programme during his tenure at ICAR after visiting Israel and implemented it at the RPCAU soon after becoming the vice-chancellor. Following the formal ceremony, Rai interacted informally with the freshers and heard their ideas.
