‘Students should strive to alleviate illiteracy\, poverty’

Tamil Nad

‘Students should strive to alleviate illiteracy, poverty’

Chief Guest A. Kaliyamurthy at the STARS Day 2019 event conducted at VIT, Vellore, on Saturday.  

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Chancellor G. Viswanathan speaks during VIT’s STARS Day celebration

Students should strive for and dedicate themselves to alleviating the twin ills of illiteracy and poverty, founder and Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), G. Viswanathan, said on Saturday.

Delivering a speech on the occasion of STARS (Support The Advancement of Rural Students) Day at VIT’s Vellore campus, Mr. Viswanathan said that among many programmes under way at the institution, the one that was very close to him, and continues to be, is the STARS project. STARS scheme of the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and Research Studies (CSRD&RS) has been providing higher education to students from rural areas since 2008.

Each year, beneficiaries of the STARS scheme, who had landed in good jobs all over the world gather with their families on the occasion of STARS Day. They celebrated the 80th birthday of Mr. Viswanathan this year and also handed over ₹85,000 to the STARS Scheme for the benefit of other students.

More initiatives

VIT has started new initiatives in the STARS scheme which aim to provide opportunities to pursue quality higher education to the underprivileged rural students. Each year, sixty-two students are chosen from rural Tamil Nadu, each of them having topped the higher secondary examinations conducted by the State government in their respective districts. Initially this scheme was started in seven districts — Cuddalore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, Villupuram and Vellore. The scheme was expanded to all 31 Districts, except Chennai, from 2009.

Former Superintendent of Police, Tiruchi, A. Kaliyamurthy said that there was no greater virtue than providing quality education to the poor. He said that STARS Scheme has been founded with the aim to improve the quality of lives of the poor and in this endeavour, Mr. Viswanathan had done a remarkable job. Mr. Kaliyamurthy added that education was the only source of help and protection to an individual for progress and growth in life. Unlike wealth that could be inherited from ancestors, education had to be earned by individuals and one had to work hard for it.

VIT vice-president, Sekar Viswananthan, vice-chancellor Anand A. Samuel, pro-vice chancellor S. Narayanan, registrar K. Sathiyanarayanan and Sundarrajan, in-charge of CSRD&RS, and convenor S. Meenakshi were present on the occasion. N.U Azhagiri delivered the vote of thanks.

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