Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu arrived in Aizawl today to inaugurate the new Academic & Seminar Complex at the Mizoram University Campus. This is the Vice President’s maiden visit to the northeast state of Mizoram. He was received by Mizoram Governor Lt.Gen.Nirbhay Sharma, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Rtd) as well as Mizoram Finance & Planning Minister Lalsawta, Commerce & Industries Minister H.Rohluna, Chief Secretary Arvind Ray, DGP Balaji Srivastava and other state officials at Lengpui Airport and Thuampui helipad.

Welcoming the Vice President to the MZU Campus, Vice Chancellor Prof.K.R.S.Simbasiva Rao gave a brief history of the Universty and its present position as 81st in rank among all Universities in the country. He proudly stated that MZU is the only University in the whole country which has never seen a student agitation in its 20 years of establishment. The Vice Chancellor also requested the Vice President’s help in getting permission to open a medical college and hospital within the MZU Campus in order to boost the health sector in Mizoram, which unfortunately held a high record of Cancer & HIV cases.

In the inaugural function held at the MZU Auditorium today, Vice President of India Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu in his inaugural speech said that good infrastructure was of utmost importance to ensure educational progress, and that he was very happy to visit the Mizoram University and inaugurate new buildings where students will be able to pursue higher & better education. Being one of the most peaceful states was indeed a huge asset for Mizoram, and with the high literacy sate of its people, the state was on the right road towards development, he added. He also said that with hard work and determination, he wished that Mizoram University would emerge as one of the leading institutions not only in the northeast region but will also attract students from ASEAN countries, and thus become an important hub for education and research. In this competitive era, he said, just a graduation or post-graduation degree is not enough, one needs to have job-oriented training, which will help the youth to get employed. He assured the Vice Chancellor and the MZU faculty that he would indeed look into the matter of permiting a medical college and hospital for the University.

Speaking on an optimistic note, the Vice President said that India had a bright future, especially because right now it is the only country in the world with a 65% population of under 35-year-olds and experts say that by 2030, India will be the only country teeming with young surplus talent in the world. He was also very glad to note that the Indian Government’s cleanliness drive ‘Swacch Bharat’ was a big hit in Mizoram and while thanking the people for their efforts in keeping the whole state clean, he said that the Mizo people should continue to be a good example in cleanliness for the rest of the states. Shri Venkaiah Naidu  pointed out that today’s world was a ‘digital world’ and urged the students of the University to keep up with the different development around the globe in IT. He also said that Mizoram had great potential in horticulture, floriculture and food processsing, and that young people in the state should also lean towards entrepreneurship and marketing Mizoram and its products to the whole world. Mizoram’s pristine natural beauty and excellent climate was ideal for eco-tourism as well, he added.

Mizoram Governor Lt.Gen.Nirbhay Sharma, who also spoke on the occasion,  thanked the Vice President for his visit to Mizoram and lauded the dynamic way in which the Vice President has occupied the office and had admirably visited almost all the states, barring two, within a short time. The Governor pointed out that although the literacy rate in Mizoram stood at 93%, employment rate remained at a very low 24%. Hence, it was crucial for further development to rethink and reshape the education sysytem currently practised in the stae. Lt.Gen. Nirbhay Sharma also reiterated on the importance of honing soft skills of the Mizo youth, especially by learning Hindi and other languages, which would benefit them in getting jobs within and outside the country.

The Vice President Pu M.Venkaiah Naidu also visited a special cultural exhibition organised for him at the MZU Auditorium. After the inauguration of the Academic & Seminar Complex at MZU, he straightaway left for the Thuampui helipad, where he had a brief interaction with representatives of various NGOs and churches in the state, before heading back to New Delhi.