Agartala, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that the new National Education Policy (NEP) aimed to make India a global knowledge superpower and underlined the need for the country to again become a 'Vishwa Guru' in education.

He said that the NEP draws inspiration from the ancient Indian education system which focused on developing holistic and well-rounded personalities and thus seeks to make Indian education holistic, multi-disciplinary, and practical.

"The ancient education system always taught us to live in harmony with nature and respect all beings and non-beings. Our education was practical, wholesome, and complementary to life," Naidu said while virtually addressing the 13th convocation of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala.

Calling upon higher education institutions and universities to make India a thriving hub of knowledge and innovation, the Vice President advised them to take up cutting- edge research in various fields, establish synergy with industries and other similar institutions, and turn campuses into exciting centres of creativity and research.

Recalling the advice of former President APJ Abdul Kalam to the youth to dream big, he asked the students to set goals and then strive hard to achieve them.

"You will succeed if you work with dedication, discipline and sincerity without wavering from your chosen path. Students, researchers and academicians, therefore, cannot afford to remain in a world of status quo. They have to constantly learn, update themselves, and innovate every day."

The Vice President also urged the corporate sector to identify key research projects in various sectors and fund them under the CSR initiatives.

"Enhancing public and private investments in research is of vital importance for creating a knowledge-driven society."

With about 65 per cent of the country's population comprising youth, the Vice- President called for fully channeling their energies and creating the right ecosystem for promoting entrepreneurship among them.

Naidu asked all students to spend some time in villages to understand the challenges faced by rural India. Terming agriculture as 'our basic culture', he called for making farming a viable and profitable activity.

Agartala NIT's Chairman of Board of Governors Dr Subhash Chandra Sati, Director Prof HK Sharma and others participated in the virtual event.

In the convocation 24 PhD scholars, 181 MTech and 14 MBA students, 24 MSc and 20 MCA passouts were among 857 students who received their degrees. Gold medals were given to 25 students for meritorious achievements.