The Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani said that a programme is on the anvil, which would enable international academicians to come and teach at NIFT, New Delhi, at no extra cost to the institute or the student. She said that this would be on the lines of Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in Higher Education, a programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
The Minister was speaking at the 22nd Convocation of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) – New Delhi. The Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani said that NIFT has been a small revolution that began thirty years ago. Congratulating the graduating students, she highlighted the achievement of two differently abled students – one of them, a girl student with hearing impairment who sat at the back of the class, lip-read and graduated with honours, and the other a boy student who graduated in flying colours, despite having locomotor disability and having to travel a long distance to the institute by metro every day.
The Minister encouraged the students to reflect on what they can leverage from the textile industry. She reminded the graduating students that like doctors, fashion professionals also deal with the lives of common people every day. Citing some recent research papers of the faculty members of NIFT, the Minister told the students that only they can decide as to whether they would like to contribute to sub-sectors such as technical textiles, which are of strategic significance to national development. Smt. Irani said that as a nation that prides in self-sufficiency, textile machinery is another area that needs strengthening and support.
Earlier, welcoming the audience, Director General, NIFT Shri Sudhir Tripathi, spoke of the contributions of NIFT to the development of fashion education and industry and said that the institute provides students an intellectually stimulating environment.
Chairperson, Board of Governors – NIFT, Shri Chetan Chauhan, exhorted the graduating students to take their learning to the real world and create a globally relevant fashion environment in India.
In all, 325 graduating students received their degrees today; this includes four doctoral degrees, 92 postgraduate degrees & 229 undergraduate degrees. Distinguished members from Board of Governors, NIFT, leaders from the Indian fashion industry such as Shri Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India, and faculty members of NIFT were present on the occasion.