IIT Kanpur to host 54th convocation in hybrid mode on Dec 28, PM to attend

UP governor Anandiben Patel, Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath will be the Guests of Honour.

The ceremony will be presided over by Dr K Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur.

Prior to the programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked people to share their suggestions, in a tweet.

"I look forward to being at @IITKanpur on the 28th of this month to address the convocation ceremony. This is a vibrant institution, which has made pioneering contributions towards science and innovation. I invite everyone to share suggestions," the Prime Minister tweeted.

Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur said in a statement here on Thursday that “Last year has been significant for IIT Kanpur as it showed the grit with which the institute launched several life-saving initiatives for the nation as well as showcased tremendous growth in the research and innovation sector."

"With that resourcefulness in mind, we’re glad to be able to bid adieu to the year with the prestigious occasion of convocation in the presence of invited respected dignitaries, including Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. I wish that the outgoing students will take this moment as a threshold to enter into a world of selfless service to the nation at large,” he said.

On the occasion, a total of 1723 students will be receiving their degrees comprising 183 PhD degrees; 11 MTech-PhD joint degrees; 545 postgraduate degrees (388 MTech; 50 MBA; 15 MDes; 56 MS-by Research; 36 PGPEX-VLFM); 136 Dual Degree; 157 MSc (2-Year); 27 Double Major; and 664 undergraduate degrees (560 BTech; 104 BS (4-Year)).

In keeping with the flexibility that the IIT Kanpur academic Program is known for, 233 Minors degrees are being awarded in this Convocation. Moreover, by spending one additional year at the Institute, 136 undergraduate students are graduating with a Master’s degree along with their Bachelors while 27 of the undergraduate students are graduating with a Second Major.

In addition to the degrees, 80 prizes and medals will be given in the second session of the convocation later in the day. Further, a total of 21 students will be awarded the Outstanding PhD Thesis Award in the second session of the convocation.

The graduating students will be conferred the degrees by the Chairperson, Senate in the event. All the students will be issued the digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at IIT Kanpur under the National Blockchain Project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the blockchain-based digital degrees. These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable. The same technology is being used to implement land records in some states.

The distribution of the degrees in physical hard copy form will be done by the respective departments later in the day in separate sessions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 53rd Convocation last year was held fully virtually for the first time in the history of IIT Kanpur. This year, the event will be held in a hybrid mode. While a total of about 880 students are expected to attend the Convocation in-person on the campus, the remaining students will be able to join the event remotely. The event will also be streamed live.