PM Modi Addresses Centenary Celebrations Of Aligarh Muslim University: Highlights

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) via video conferencing.

Prime Minister Modi also released a postal stamp during the event. Chancellor of the University Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin and Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister is accompanied by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. This is the first time PM Modi is participating in a programme of the Aligarh Muslim University.

Here are the highlights of PM Modi's address:

• I would begin by saying thank you for making me a part of your celebration and happiness on completing 100 years.
• I see the campus buildings all lit up in celebrations. But these are not mere buildings, but the place from where innumerable alumni have contributed immensely in taking the nation forward.
• Wherever they may be, the alumni of this prestigious institution has always made India proud.
• It is not just the alumni and the students, but the contribution of each and every teacher over the last 100 years, since the start of this university.
• Not just in academics, but your contributions in other ways have also been extremely valuable to the nation. Recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the manner in which you set up facilities for check-ups, the manner in which you all helped those who needed it, as well as contributing significantly to the PM CARES fund, all show your sincere intent towards working for the nation.
• At this prestigious university, if a student can imbibe her/his education in Urdu, so can they in Hindi, On one side one can get knowledge about Arabic, on the other so can we in Sanskrit. One on side you can learn the teachings of the Quran, while on the other, AMU teaches the teachings of the Gita and other scriptures too. This is what India is all about, and this institution functions every day on that principle.
• Sir Syed Ahmed Khan said that when you receive education and come into the work sphere, you must work towards all, without any discrimination, without seeing caste or creed or religion. That is a thought that we must always carry with us.
• The Centre is working everyday for the benefit of all its citizens. The central schemes - be it healthcare or gas and electricity connections, etc - they all benefit everyone.
• Public conveniences and toilets benefit everyone, and all sections of society.
• In fact, the dropout rate in school among Muslim girls has gone down from 70% to currently around 30%, and we are working towards minimising this further.
• The government is focused on education and empowerment of our Muslim daughters.
• Women's empowerment is fundamental towards taking any nation forward. A good education leads to financial empowerment, and financial empowerment leads to a woman making independent decisions. And that is key towards then taking both their families and the nation forward.
• I would love to hear from you all at Aligarh Muslim University on how to make India self-reliant and how to work on successfully taking 'local to global'. Your ideas and sugestions are always welcome and is greatly valued.
• I want you all to think about how we can build an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).
• The alumni of this great institution has given our nation so many freedom fighters. So many from here helped India get its independence and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with all other citizens. That contribution will forever be remembered by us all.
• The current generation of students have now got to work towards taking India forward and making it a global leader in all spheres... to make India self-reliant.
• The youth today should work keeping in mind a 'nation-first' attitude, and the government is creating such an education eco-system. This will greatly help India be a leader in the 21st century.
• The government is working to create more premier institutions and increase the seats of education so that more and more students get the best education. In 2014 India had 16 IITs, today there are 23 IITs. In 2014, we had 9 IIITs, today we have 25 IIITs. In 2014, there were 13 IIMs, today there are 20 IIMs. Same is the case with medical education. In 2014, there were 7 AIIMS in India, today there are 22 AIIMS.
• Be it online education or offline education, it must reach all. That is our goal.
• On completing 100 years, there is a lot of expectation from a prestigious institution like AMU.
• You all must research the contribution of many freedom fighters who may not be as well known. Make their contributions known to everyone across India.
• AMU has some treasures of knowledge in its archives. I urge you all to make these available to all Indians by making it available digitally and virtually.
• Today, the entire world is looking at India. The whole world is keeping a close eye on what India is doing and how we are doing it.
• We must work towards making India truly self-reliant. That is our aim. There may be some political differences at times, but nothing comes above nation building.
• 100 years ago, getting our independence became a common ground for all Indians, irrespective of differences in personal views. Similarly, today our common ground is to take India forward and make it self-reliant and to ensure nation-building.
• We must remember that politics may be an important part of the overall system, but there are many other things much bigger and greater than politics. Society as a whole is much larger than politics.
• When we speak of a new India, we urge that the development and progress of the nation must not be viewed from a political lens.
• Politics can wait, society can wait, but the development of the country cannot wait anymore, and neither do we want to. A lot of time has already been lost. We must act and not let time go by any further.
• There will always be some who will try to stall things by keeping their personal agendas in mind, but if we can see the larger picture, then we will restrict their efforts to sabotage. We must keep India in all our decisions, and all actions must lead to nation-building.
• 27 years after 1920, we gained our independence. We are now 27 years from completing 100 years of our independence. We must all work hard to take India forward over these 27 years. And institutions like AMU play a vital role in creating and developing a modern and scientific India.