'Modi's cleanliness, digital drive will shape destiny of 127 crore Indians'

Hazaribag: President Pranab Mukherjee, who arrived in Ranchi to attend the seventh convocation of the Vinoba Bhave university here on Saturday, praised the Narendra Modi government for its Swachh Bharat, Digital India, and Start up India schemes. Speaking as the chief guest on the university campus on the occassion, the President said, ""Each and every initiative the government has taken up has its own value to shape the destiny of the 127 crore people of India."
Mukherjee called upon the university and its students to be a part of the initiatives."It is a societal responsibility which should be borne by all," he said.
This was Mukherjee's third visit to the university, having visited earlier in the capacity of vice-chairman of the Planning Commission and later as Union minister in 1995 and 2006. Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha was also conferred honorary D. Litt by the university for his services to the country.
Given the rich mineral resources that Jharkhand is endowed with, coupled with its public sector undertakings and private companies, Mukherjee urged the university to nurture and groom local talent with the support of industries in the state.
Chief minister Raghubar Das was conspicuous by his absence in Hazaribag, though he received the President at the airport in Ranchi. Officials informed that accompanying the President to Hazaribag was not on the CM's agenda today. Mukherjee shared the dias with governor Droupadi Murmu, minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha and state education minister Neera Yadav.
Addressing the gathering of students, Jayant Sinha said the Modi government was pro-poor and believed the underprivileged have the first right to its resources. "The country has moved ahead from the 'mai baap'government (referring to the Nehru legacy),'' he said.