Nagpur: Deputy director at Bengaluru’s UR Rao Satellite Centre, Pramod Belgaonkar said that technology must be harnessed for the uplift of society while contributing to the vision of a developed India. He was speaking at the 12th graduation ceremony of Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering (YCCE) on Saturday. A total of 1,419 students were awarded degrees, including 1,311 undergraduate and 108 postgraduate students, while 47 students were honoured with special awards for displaying academic excellence.Belgaonkar said India is rapidly progressing in science and technology to meet global needs and the youth must play a key role in shaping the country’s future. He urged the students to focus on innovation, research and entrepreneurship, and to make use of technology to address social challenges.Advising the students to pursue their own interests, he said they should carve their own paths instead of merely following others. “While building your careers, remember to contribute to society. Service to society brings a deep sense of pride and fulfilment to self,” he said.Guest of honour Nagpur University VC Manali Kshirsagar said that no matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, it cannot replicate human emotions. She encouraged students to work towards making the world more humane and rational.The programme was presided over by Datta Meghe, chairman of Nagar Yuwak Shikshan Sanstha. Principal UP Waghe welcomed the gathering and highlighted the institution’s progress, describing the convocation ceremony as a celebration of the students’ hard work and dedication which had paid off.Among the 1,419 students who received the top award, the recipients were namely Satvika Satyanarayana Athena (BTech IIoT), Abhijeet Uttam Konar (BTech IT), Gagan Dhiraj Loya (BTech Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering), Sadaf Firdaus Md Afzal Ansari (MTech Data Science) and Saniya Keshav Ganvir (MBA).
