IRMA’s students must play an important role in eliminating the gaps between urban and rural India: Venkaiah Naidu
Anand, June 11th, 2024: Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Hon’ble Former Vice President of India graced the 43rd Convocation Ceremony of Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) as the Chief Guest on 7th June, 2024 at the TK Patel Auditorium, NDDB Campus, Anand. He was joined by Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman, IRMA & NDDB and Dr Umakant Dash, Director, IRMA. A total of 303 students were conferred with degrees during the ceremony.
Ahead of the Convocation ceremony, Hon’ble Former Vice President of India also inaugurated a newly constructed 126-room hostel block built by NDDB on technical consultancy basis, with modern facilities for the students’ comfort and well-being. Later, he took a tour of the IRMA campus with Dr. Meenesh Shah and Dr. Umakant Dash.
The convocation ceremony began shortly after the Hon’ble Chief Guest joined the procession, along with Dr. Meenesh Shah, IRMA Society Members, Board of Directors, Dr. Umakant Dash, faculty members and students.
In his address the Hon’ble Former Vice President remembered Dr. Verghese Kurien, Founder Chairman, IRMA by calling his impact on the nation as profound. Dr. Kurien’s impact, the Chief Guest added, reverberated through institutions like the National Dairy Development Board, IRMA, and many others, that have shaped the future of our nation. With their unwavering commitment to rural development and management, these institutions have laid the foundation for the Bharat of the future. He urged the graduating batches of IRMA to remain committed to lifelong learning and personal growth. The world, he said, was evolving at a rapid pace, and it was necessary for the students to evolve their skills and knowledge accordingly. He again congratulated the graduating class of 2024 on its remarkable achievements and wished that as they left the hallowed halls of IRMA and ventured into the world beyond, they continue to uphold the values of excellence, integrity, and service that define the esteemed institution that is IRMA.
Dr. Meenesh Shah stated that the vision towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, ‘Make in India’, ‘White Revolution 2.0’ etc. have opened up more avenues for rural management professionals. He further stated that ‘Rural Bharat’ or ‘Grameen Bharat’ is today on a transformative path giving ample opportunities to work towards food security, women empowerment, technological innovations, enterprise and entrepreneurial development and we have to embrace technology and it is our role as rural management professionals to use it innovatively across the value chain be it production, procurement, processing, storage, marketing or even financing.
Dr. Umakant Dash, Director, IRMA, said that IRMA is more than just an institute that awards academic degrees; it creates leaders who have empathy for rural communities and strive to build ecosystems that are both profitable and socially beneficial. Our past is marked by numerous success stories in which our students have spearheaded sustainable change and positively impacted many lives.
As the Government of India nurtures the vision of inclusive development and equal opportunities especially for people in rural India, IRMA, over the last four decades, has been nurturing a workforce dedicated to rural management through its consistent efforts.
At the Convocation, 303 students received degrees. 265 students received PGDM(RM) degrees while the remaining 37 were conferred with PGDM (RM-Executive) degrees. Additionally, one student received a degree for the Fellow Programme in Management – RM.
During the ceremony, the prestigious Kuchibhotla Vasanthi Gold Medal for academic excellence was awarded to Ms. Anupama D, a graduate of the 2022-24 batch of PGDM (RM). This highly esteemed recognition was established 27 years ago in honour of the Late Ms Kuchibhotla Vasanthi, an alumnus of PGDM-RM programme who tragically passed away in 1997. Mr. Sandeep Hirpara was awarded the IRMA Gold Medal for academic excellence in the PGDM (RM-X) programme.
Working in rural areas gives IRMA’s students a unique exposure to the heartland of the country. Such exposure is central to IRMA’s philosophy of nurturing management professionals who are empathetic and conversant with development issues at the grassroots. Two PGDM(RM) students from the graduating batch of 2022-24, Mr. Shubham Tayal and Mr. Reuben Papang, were honoured with the ‘Best Village Fieldwork Segment Award’.
