‘Terrorism should not deter us from path of progress’

During her speech,the President touched upon many topics ranging from terrorism to education and youth empowerment. “Many people lost lives during the recent German Bakery blast. Many suffered permanent injuries and physical disabilities. Acts such as the blasts are attacks on our culture. We are a peace-loving nation and our culture teaches us to look at the world as one family,” she said.

Talking about her expectations from youngsters,Patil said,“The higher percentage of youngsters in our country makes it a young nation with a legacy of great culture. Today,it is time to come together to strengthen the roots in order to channelise the manpower that can bring about transformation in the country. It is the same young population that has been taking our country to new heights,” said Patil.

“We tend to blame the system for everything that goes wrong in the country but we need to understand that no change can be brought about without the participation of the citizens of the country,” she said.

In his speech,Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said,“With universities across the globe targeting India as the educational hub,Indian universities have a tough task to carry out. They need to judge the changes taking place in the field of education and modify themselves to meet the demands.”

Also present on the occasion were Devisingh Shekhawat,Subhash Jhanak,women and child welfare minister,Dasharath Reddy,special officer of the Government of Andhra Pradesh,Shahu Chhatrapati,president,DES,Ravindrasinh Pardeshi,principal,Fergusson College,Ajit Patwardhan,chairman,Council and Governing Body,DES and others.