Pic: VTU rankholder students display their gold medalsBelagavi: "Emerging impact of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) are turning the world into a global village, and this is an age of the 4th industrial revolution," said Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

He was addressing the 25th annual convocation of the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) organised at the Jnana-Sangama Campus of VTU here on Friday.Highlighting the crucial role of India's youth in national development, the Governor said, "Young people must play a proactive role in driving economic growth alongside the govt's initiatives. A strong work culture among the youth will shape the future of India." He praised major national missions such as Startup India, Digital India, and Make in India, stating they played a pivotal role in creating a vibrant ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.Governor Gehlot noted that startups are flourishing across India, and young entrepreneurs are emerging as key drivers of change, introducing solutions across sectors like healthcare, agriculture, clean energy, water management, and urban mobility. "Whether it's irrigation in villages, green energy projects, urban transport, or social welfare—every challenge is a new opportunity for technological innovation," he added.

He also stressed the growing importance of cybersecurity and the need to balance social, environmental, and economic development through the responsible use of technology.Meanwhile, Gehlot conferred gold medals to the rank holders in the various engineering branches in the presence of the VTU VC Prof Vidyashankar S, registrar Prof BE Rangaswamy, and Prof TN Sreenivasa.Speaking as the chief guest, Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, principal scientific advisor to the Govt of India, said that to emerge as a true global power, India must secure technological sovereignty—the ability to design, develop, and deploy critical technologies independently, especially in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).

This is crucial today, in an era where AI is redefining how the world thinks, works, and competes.Honorary doctorate conferred Meanwhile, the VTU Honorary Doctorate Degree ‘Doctor of Science' was conferred on three eminent personalities - V Narayanan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and secretary of the Department of Space; Prashant Prakash, founder of Excel India, and CS Sunder Raju, chancellor of Atria University, Bengaluru.Top five gold medallists Namrata C Prabhu, a civil engineering student at Oxford College of Engineering, Bengaluru, received the highest number of gold medals, with 13. She was followed by Navyashree Ganpishetty, an Electronics and Communication Engineering student of RV Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, who obtained 11 gold medals. Karthik L, a mechanical engineering student of Bangalore Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, and Kavana A, an Electrical and Electronics Engineering student of GSSS Institute of Technology for Women, Mysuru, both secured seven gold medals each.

Mohini V, a Computer Science and Engineering student of Dayanand Sagar Academy of Technology and Management, Bengaluru, obtained six gold medals.