Doctors should serve in rural areas: V-P

‘States should make their languages the medium of instruction till higher education’

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu Naidu presents a certificate to a student at the 11th convocation of Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences on Thursday. K.P. Anbazhagan, Minister for Higher Education, is in the picture.

The State and Central governments should make it mandatory for doctors to serve in the villages before their first promotion, said Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu here on Thursday.

At the 11th convocation of the Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, he said that it was a red-letter day for the students.

“India was once upon s time known as

Vishwaguru . Students from abroad used to come to universities such as Takshashila and Nalanda,” Mr. Naidu said.

Stating that one should never forget one’s culture, he said that he was proud of Tamil Nadu as the people still followed their culture. “Every State government should make its respective language the medium of instructions till higher education,” the Vice-President added. A total of 1,361 graduates were given degrees. Of them 1,140 were under-graduates, 178 post-graduates and 43 doctorates.

K. Sivan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation; Dibyendu Mazumder, president of Dental Council of India; G. Satheesh Reddy, Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems, DRDO; and V.L. Indira Dutt, managing director, KCP group of companies; were recipients of the doctor of science (honoris causa) award.

K.P. Anbalagan, Minister of Higher Education, N. M. Veeraiyan, chancellor, SIMATS and L. Jawahar Nesan, V-C, were present at the function.