PM Modi Addresses IIT-Delhi 57th Convocation, Launches Supercomputer
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed graduating students at IIT-Delhi's 57th convocation ceremony in Delhi on Saturday, August 8, 2026, urging youth to question accepted norms and take the courage to find solutions. His address came amid heightened multi-layered security measures surrounding the campus following weeks of nationwide student protests seeking education reforms and addressing paper leaks in competitive examinations.
During the ceremony, degrees were conferred upon over 3,000 graduating students, including 587 Ph.D. scholars. Mr. Modi presented major honours to meritorious students, including the President’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold Medal, Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal, and Perfect Ten Gold Medals. During his visit, he also remotely inaugurated Param Pragya, an AI-powered high-performance supercomputing facility established at IIT-Delhi’s Sonipat campus.
Highlighting the rapid pace of technological change globally, the Prime Minister framed the current era as a dual landscape of unprecedented challenges and vast new opportunities. He remarked that an IIT degree represents far more than a high CGPA or lucrative job placement, acting instead as a definitive global certification of advanced problem-solving capabilities.
Mr. Modi pointed to burgeoning domestic sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing, space technology, drone applications, digital payments, and FinTech as major platforms for young entrepreneurs and engineers. He noted that emerging fields like Artificial Intelligence, data centres, critical minerals, deep sea exploration, quantum computing, and energy security are eagerly awaiting new talent and leadership.
The Prime Minister also advised graduates against comparing their placements, salaries, or startup milestones with peers, warning against distractions in the social media era and encouraging a focus on self-improvement and well-being. Emphasising a national push toward advanced research, he referenced the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, which is backed by a funding target of up to ₹1 lakh crore.
Ahead of the convocation event, police and paramilitary forces set up multi-layered security measures including barricades and temporary metal detectors. Attendees were prohibited from carrying mobile phones, bags, umbrellas, and water bottles inside the main building, while surrounding airspace was heavily monitored to restrict unmanned aerial objects.
