Delhi CM Rekha Gupta urges graduates to become innovators, problem-solvers at VIT convocation

Vellore: India must transform itself into a creator of artificial intelligence rather than remain merely a consumer of it, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday.

She was speaking as chief guest at the 41st convocation of VIT University, Vellore, presided over by VIT Chancellor G Viswanathan. Gupta conferred degree certificates on graduating students during the ceremony.

Addressing the gathering, Gupta said many of society's pressing problems could be solved when government and graduates work in tandem. Citing Delhi's own experience, she noted that the city had found solutions to challenges such as pollution, traffic congestion and waste management by partnering with IIT institutions. She urged graduating students to take up similar roles once they enter the workforce, contributing to solutions for their cities and innovating for the nation.

"Don't just be users of artificial intelligence — build India's own AI," she said, pointing to the substantial investments made by the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the "India AI Mission," spanning semiconductors, computing infrastructure, defence, space, drones, robotics and biotechnology. The aim, she said, was for India to move beyond consuming AI technology to producing it — a shift she called one of the greatest contributions graduates could make to their state and country.

She also spoke about resilience, telling students not to fear failure or let it cause stress, but instead to identify its causes, understand them, and work through them with determination rather than walking away from the problem. She said India's goals should rest on the vision of "Make in India," "Invest in India," "Design in India" and "Brand in India," noting that while the world has recognised the talent of Indian engineers, it must now also witness the strength of Indian technology itself.

In his address, VIT Chancellor G Viswanathan said India's Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education stands at around 30 per cent, which the Union government's new education policy aims to raise to 50 per cent. Ensuring access to higher education for students from poor and middle-class backgrounds, he said, is a shared duty of state and central governments.

Highlighting a stark imbalance, Viswanathan said India has over 50 lakh engineering seats but lags far behind in medical education. About 22 lakh students appear for the NEET examination each year, competing for only around 1.3 lakh medical seats nationwide — leaving barely 2,000 to 3,000 seats vacant after allotment. As a result, nearly 1 lakh Indian students go abroad annually to study medicine.

Citing World Health Organisation guidelines of one doctor per 1,000 people, Viswanathan said southern states, including Tamil Nadu, meet this standard, while states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh face shortages of one doctor per 2,000 to 2,300 people — underscoring the need for greater investment in medical education. He noted that India's 840 medical colleges collectively offer only 1.3 lakh seats, with individual colleges typically admitting just 100 to 150 students a year, compared with up to 400 in Britain and 800 to 1,200 in China. Raising intake to 1,000 students per institution, he suggested, could help India reach 8 lakh medical seats, provided adequate faculty and infrastructure are put in place.

The ceremony held a personal moment for Rekha Gupta, whose son, Nikunj Gupta, graduated alongside his batchmates. The Chief Minister was seen seated below the stage, watching with visible pride as her son received his degree certificate.

In all, 11,276 undergraduate and postgraduate students received degree certificates — 7,359 at the undergraduate level and 3,917 at the postgraduate level. Among them, 6,046 completed BTech, 1,732 completed MTech, 1,313 completed other undergraduate courses, and 2,185 completed MSc and other postgraduate programmes. Additionally, 781 students received PhD degrees and three received integrated PhD degrees. Certificates of academic distinction went to 248 top-ranking students, while 84 received gold medals.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated an Centre for Advanced Research centre for Bacteriophage and Infectious Diseases at VIT.

The ceremony was also attended by VIT Vice-Presidents Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, GV Selvam, Executive Director Sandhya Pentareddy, Assistant Vice-President Kadhambari S Viswanathan, Ramani Balasundaram, Vice-Chancellor VS Kanchana Bhaskaran, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Parthasarathy Mallik, and Registrar T Jayabharathi, along with deans, professors, parents and students. The convocation concludes tomorrow.