Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the annual convocation of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, which was recently chosen as one of the six Institutions of Eminence by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), on Saturday. It was the 56th IIT-B convocation.

“Biggest corporations of today were start-ups of yesterday,” the PM said before a packed gathering of students, faculty members and other dignitaries.

“The IITs are the major sources of the revolution in the start-up scene in the country. Even the world is acknowledging the IITs as the nursery of ‘unicorn start-ups’. The institutions serve as a mirror of technology, in which the world is able to see the future,” he pointed out.

The PM motivated the students “to be a constructive element of the society through their expertise and skills that they acquired at the institute”.

“You have received what can be called the best our educational system has to offer,” the PM said while addressing students.

He said innovations and enterprise would soon be the foundation stone for making India a developed economy.

“My appeal to youngsters is: Innovate in India, Innovate for humanity. From mitigating climate change to ensuring better agricultural productivity, from cleaner energy to water conservation, from combating malnutrition to effective waste management,” the PM said.

Encouraging the students of the IIT-Bombay to come up with unique ideas and solutions for the growth of the nation and the welfare of the society, the PM said that the “best ideas do not come in government buildings or in fancy offices”.

“This will not happen through Government efforts alone. It will happen through youngsters like you…the best ideas come in campuses like yours, in the minds of youngsters like you,” said the PM at the ceremony where he felicitated graduates of the elite institution.

“The nation is proud of the IITs and what IIT graduates have achieved. The success of IITs led to the creation of engineering colleges around the country,” the PM underlined.

Along with PM Modi, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar, Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao and state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also attended the convocation ceremony.

Last year, IIT-B also made its debut in the list of Top 200 universities in the world.