PM Narendra Modi Attends 57th IIT Delhi Convocation, Highlights Innovation, AI and Youth Leadership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 57th Convocation Ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on August 8, 2026, urging graduating students to remain curious, challenge established ideas and use their education to develop solutions for the country’s emerging challenges.
The convocation brought together graduating students, faculty members, researchers and distinguished guests as IIT Delhi marked another major academic milestone. Modi congratulated the graduates and their families, describing the occasion as an important transition from academic life to professional and social responsibility.
In his address, Modi emphasised that India’s young engineers and researchers should not view difficult problems merely as obstacles. Instead, he said that those willing to find new solutions can turn challenges into opportunities.
Artificial intelligence was one of the major themes of the programme. The Prime Minister highlighted the rapidly changing technological landscape and the responsibility of young professionals to ensure that emerging technologies are used for innovation and wider societal benefit.
A major development at the ceremony was the inauguration of Param Pragya, an AI-powered high-performance computing facility at IIT Delhi. The initiative reflects the growing emphasis on strengthening India’s domestic computing and artificial-intelligence capabilities.
The facility is significant in the broader context of India’s efforts to expand advanced computing infrastructure. High-performance computing is increasingly important for AI research, scientific modelling, engineering applications and other computationally intensive fields.
The Prime Minister’s visit also placed IIT Delhi’s graduates at the centre of a wider message about India’s technological ambitions. The government has increasingly linked the country’s development goals with indigenous research, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
Modi encouraged students to maintain the spirit of questioning that brought them to one of India’s premier technical institutions. His message focused not simply on obtaining degrees but on applying knowledge to real-world problems.
The convocation also comes at a time when India is attempting to build a larger ecosystem around AI and advanced computing. The expansion of domestic technological capacity is viewed as important for reducing dependence on external infrastructure while creating opportunities for researchers, startups and industry.
For the graduating students, the ceremony marked the beginning of a new phase in which their technical knowledge will increasingly be tested against practical challenges. Modi’s address sought to connect their individual careers with India’s broader aspirations in science, technology and innovation.
The event therefore combined the traditional symbolism of an IIT convocation with a strong focus on India’s technology agenda. The inauguration of an AI-focused computing facility alongside the Prime Minister’s address underlined the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in the country’s higher-education and research priorities.
Modi also shared glimpses of the ceremony after the event, highlighting the emotional significance of the occasion for graduates and their families.
The 57th IIT Delhi convocation ultimately served as both a graduation milestone and a statement about India’s technological direction: a greater emphasis on advanced research, AI infrastructure, innovation and a generation of young professionals expected to help solve increasingly complex national and global challenges.
