गुजरात के सबसे पुराने और सबसे बड़े इस विश्वविद्यालय में आकर मुझे बहुत प्रसन्नता हो रही है। गांधी जी और सरदार पटेल के सपनों के अनुसार वर्ष 1949 में स्थापित यह विश्वविद्यालय अनेक मानकों पर गुजरात और पूरे देश में अग्रणी स्थान रखता है। गुजरात विश्वविद्यालय के लिए यह गर्व की बात है कि न केवल भारत के वर्तमान प्रधानमंत्री, श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी बल्कि भारत के अन्तरिक्ष कार्यक्रम के जनक, डॉक्टर विक्रम साराभाई, ISRO के पूर्व-प्रमुख, डॉक्टर के. कस्तूरीरंगन और भारत के गृह मंत्री,श्री अमित शाह भी इस university के पूर्व छात्र रह चुके हैं। डॉक्टर विक्रम साराभाई जैसे वैज्ञानिक जिस संस्थान के छात्र रह चुके हों उसका विज्ञान, अनुसंधान और innovation में अग्रणी रहना स्वाभाविक ही है। इस विश्वविद्यालय के campus में 450 से अधिक स्टार्ट-अप कार्य कर रहे हैं और उनके द्वारा रोजगार के अवसर प्रदान किए गए हैं। मुझे यह ज्ञात हुआ है कि वर्तमान में इस विश्वविद्यालय द्वारा 125 से अधिक महिलाओं द्वारा नेतृत्व प्रदान किए जा रहे start-ups को सक्रिय सहयोग दिया जा रहा है। सिर्फ यही नहीं,करीब 15,000 महिला उद्यमी online या offline माध्यम से इस initiative से जुड़े हुए हैं।

राष्ट्रीय शिक्षा नीति का मूल आधार, शिक्षा को संकुचित सोच के दायरे से बाहर निकालना और उसे 21वी सदी के आधुनिक विचारो से जोड़ना है !

Few years ago, we couldn’t even think of having unicorns in India. The Hon’ble Prime Minister first mentioned his vision of Startup India and Stand Up India in 2016, and I want to congratulate Gujarat University on being the first to grab the opportunity and taking the responsibility to enable young Indians to start up and is on its way to becoming a model university.

“Prior to 2014, entrepreneurship was merely an exception rather than a rule or a norm. There has never been a more opportune moment for young Indians to succeed than now. Innovation, innovation and innovation is the mantra going forward. Innovation is going to drive our future.The government is making efforts to connect startups with its ecosystem so that government's procurement requirements can be met with innovative solutions by startups,"

Universities can go a long way in making Forensic Science popular among students. I’m incredibly appreciative of the fact that Gujarat University for organising this Forensic Science Conference, and hope that this will establish the way forward to founding a Forensic Council in the time to come.

I’m grateful to Gujarat University for nurturing alumni like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. There is always an inevitable need for University and Industry to work together, but what Gujarat University is doing is far, far more important. The University is not just creating linkages and collaborating with businesses of today but creating tomorrow’s businesses at the University itself! I really look forward to having Gujarat University’s guidance on what and how we should take this idea forward nationally.

It is hard to find that a single university has produced pioneering stakeholders in multiple fields and helped them reach the zenith of success. Gujarat University has single-handedly groomed the likes of the country’s Prime Minister besides Chief Justices and notable scientists.

It makes me happy to be in the place of birth and the original battleground of the Father of the Nation. But what makes me happier still, is being amongst the young students of this University, one of whom carved his journey to being the Prime Minister of the country, setting high standards of self-reliance and national consciousness for every student. I’m happy to see that 13 out of 21 medals at today’s Convocation ceremony are being won by girl students. It is noteworthy that 85 per cent of students at Gujarat University are from other states and union territories, making the University campus a mini-India and strengthening our national unity.

It is nothing but a sign of an evolving nation that Prime Ministers today aren’t Cambridge and Oxford graduates, but alumni of Gujarat University.