Time has come for convergence of intellect experience: V-P Dhankhar

He also said that India is poised to become the worlds third largest economy by the end of this decade.Dhankhar was addressing a global alumni meet of Panjab University here.I have no doubt that time has come in this country for convergence of intellect, experience, exposure of alumni of various institutions.

Noting that the time has come for ''convergence of intellect experience'', Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Saturday asked alumni of various institutes in the country to come together for formulation of policies which will be ''eye-opener''. He also said that India is poised to become the world's third largest economy by the end of this decade.

Dhankhar was addressing a global alumni meet of Panjab University here.

''I have no doubt that time has come in this country for convergence of intellect, experience, exposure of alumni of various institutions. We have IIMs, we have IITs, we have science institutes...there are several universities - forensic, petroleum. Besides we have important colleges.

Now, if the alumni of these institutes come together on one platform, they can help in formulation of policies that will be an eye opener,'' said Dhankhar.

Noting that the strength of a university does not lie in infrastructure, he said it is recognised by its faculty and by its alumni.

''I dare say the alumni of Panjab University will rank number one if there is any objective analysis of any university in this country and therefore I have no doubt that Panjab University alumni can do it for sure,'' he said.

''Time has come to be on one platform. The alumni must be on one platform and the alumni must get pan India representation and a global representation. The moment that happens, there will be a big change that will catalyse several affirmative situations for the students studying here,'' he added.

Dhankhar noted that the reputation of some of the famous universities of the world thrives on the strength of the alumni and their financial reservoir is determined by alumni contribution.

''I don't want to name a US university but any Indian who has studied in that university virtually gives a pledge to contribute every month so much. ''It pains my heart when the Indian government in 2009 made a contribution of USD 5 million to a foreign university in the US, for what? Don't we have enough universities here to nurture. A big industrial house made a contribution of USD 50 million. I am not against it. You do what you feel like but don't ignore your home ground. We need to be extremely alive and sensitive to it,'' he stressed.

The vice president also spoke about accomplishments made by the country in various sectors.

''Our digital transactions in 2022 were four times the digital transactions of the UK, the US, France and Germany taken together,'' he said, adding that India's per capita internet consumption is more than that of China and the US taken together.

''So the world is changing, but we are changing faster than the world. That is why the IMF, World Bank say India is the fastest growing large economy in the world.

''They used to decry us, they used to demean us, they used to take us as a worrisome area of the globe. (Now) We are the hot favourite nation of investment and opportunity,'' he said.

Dhankhar said around 2013, India was taken to be fragile five and now ''where we have come''.

''We are number five (fifth largest economy) and we have left behind the UK and France. Shortly we will be leaving behind Japan and Germany and we will be the third largest economy by the end of decade,'' he said.

''In the 1960s, our own satellite was launched through the pad of another country. But now, whether it is the US, the UK, or Singapore, we launch their satellites. That is the growth India has seen,'' he said.

''We have to be very responsible. Our Bharat is changing as never before,'' he said.

The vice president said when he was a Union minister, he had the occasion to see while being in the government. ''The gold of India which was once called 'soney ki chidiya' went out of the country and was placed in the Swiss bank,'' he said.

''Look now where we are! Between one billion, two billion (USD forex reserve) we were fluctuating then; now we are 600 billion plus,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)