A student receives honourary degree at the convocation in Siksha O Anusandha University on Saturday. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 15: Supreme Court judge Justice A.K. Patnaik today said that the state should make special provisions by law for the advancement of socially and educationally backward people.

“Andhra Pradesh has made a scheme to support access to quality education to thousands of poor and meritorious students belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes in selected private corporate colleges. Under the scheme, annual fees of the students are reimbursed by the government directly to the private professional and educational institutions,” said Patnaik.

“Once the expenses of providing free and compulsory education to children up to the age of 14 are met, the state should, in my opinion, also adopt similar scheme to finance professional and technical education to students belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes who are meritorious, but cannot afford the high fees of professional and technical education,” he said.

“This measure will pull out a large number of our young people belonging to economically backward classes, schedule caste and schedule tribes from poverty,” said Pattnaik. He was speaking at the first convocation ceremony of Siksha O Anusandhan University, for the batch of 2010, on the institute’s premises.

Delivering the presidential address, chancellor Khageswar Pradhan urged the graduates to remember the noble values of caring and sharing of service and sacrifice. “Our nation-building process requires young men and women who are skilled, confident, concerned, committed and sensitive to the changing world,” he said. Vice-chancellor M.P. Jail also spoke on the occasion.

A total of 913 students received their degrees and diplomas at the convocation. In addition to awarding degrees and medals to the successful graduates, the honourary degree of doctorate was also conferred on five eminent personalities from the state.

Recipients of honourary degree of D.Litt included senior consultant of National School of Arts D.P. Pattnaik, social worker Tulasi Munda and chief guru of Swar Rang Damodar Hota. Honourary degree of D.Engg was conferred on chairman and managing director of Nalco A.K. Srivastava. D.Sc was conferred on professor of nuclear medicine Chandrashekhar Bal.