Around 450 students from the 61st batch of the two-year MBA programme and 90 from the one-year MBAEx (Executive) programme received their degrees at IIM Calcutta’s annual convocation on Saturday.

Alok Kumar Rai, the IIM Calcutta director, and M. Jagadesh Kumar, the chairperson of the institute’s board of governors, handed over the degrees to the graduating students. Praveer Sinha, CEO and MD, The Tata Power Company Limited, was the chief guest.

Jagadesh Kumar, also the head of the UGC, urged students to keep upgrading their skills given the growing automation in workplaces.

“In the workplace, as many of the tasks are automated, you need to focus on higher order skills, judgement and creativity, deep domain knowledge and ability to work in teams....There are many areas where you can contribute with the kind of training that you have received at the IIM-Calcutta,” he said.

The IIM-C director said “amid the market conditions this year” they repeated the history of excellent placement. “As our graduating students step forward, we are confident they will lead with integrity, adaptability, and a deep sense of purpose in an increasingly complex world,” he said.