ROPAR: IIT Ropar celebrated its 14th Annual Convocation today at its permanent campus. Mr. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, former Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and delivered the Convocation Address. Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, presided over the ceremony.
A total of 720 degrees were awarded this year, including 354 B.Tech, 181 M.Tech, 69 M.Sc, 114 PhD, and 2 B.Tech-M.Tech Dual Degrees. This marks a 31.87% increase in the number of graduating students compared to last year.
Prof. Rajeev Ahuja highlighted IIT Ropar’s rapid rise as one of India's fastest-growing IITs. He noted that 30% of India’s deep-tech agri startups now come from the institute, which has also launched a B.Tech in Digital Agriculture and is developing a Large Language Model (LLM) for agriculture for the Ministry of Agriculture.
Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman of the Board of Governors, encouraged graduates to remain connected with their alma mater and contribute meaningfully to its continued growth: “Success brings recognition, and your roots at IIT Ropar will always define you.”
The Chief Guest, Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, delivered an inspiring address urging graduates to lead India towards energy sovereignty. “India imports nearly 90% of its crude oil and 60% of gas. Energy independence by 2047 is our collective goal. Graduates today have a unique opportunity to shape this journey through innovation, reliability, and integrity, ” he said.