Pune: President Pratibha Patil Monday asked colleges in the country to make vigorous efforts to meet India`s growing requirement of skilled human resources to contribute in the progress of the nation.
"Our country is undergoing a period of transformation and in this age of knowledge based technology, colleges need to perform well to meet the requirement of educated and skilled manpower," she said at the post-centennial silver jubilee celebrations of Deccan Education Society and Fergusson College here.
Patil said the post-independence period saw setting up of a large number of colleges and universities in the country which produced generations of educated citizens.
"But there is a tendency to blame the government for all the problems facing the nation, namely, poverty, unemployment, growing population or corruption. We should ponder over the contribution our educated manpower can make in solving these problems by regarding it as a social obligation," she added.
Describing today`s India as "the nation of the young", the President said the youth should endeavour to acquire various skills needed to excel in different fields of knowledge and industry and take the country ahead on the path of becoming an economic superpower.
She recalled that one of the female students of Fergusson College had died in the February 13 terror attack in Pune, and said the youths should make themselves strong to deal with the threat of terrorism and ensure that the country`s progress was not hampered by the global menace.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal who was present on the occasion, praised Deccan Education Society`s contribution in the field of education in Maharashtra.
PTI
