President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday insisted that future wealth creators must imbibe Mahatma Gandhi’s lessons of life which are not inconsistent with the ethics of business. Speaking after inaugurating the Foundation Week of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, as part of its golden jubilee celebrations here, she said without ethics, success was sinful for Gandhiji.

“The world today faces profound challenges, whether it be the very real existential crisis of climate change or the more abstract moral challenge of deteriorating value systems. In the strife-torn world driven by brute impulses of commercialism, India gives an alternative vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to the world,” she told the gathering.

“For those of you who are going to be the future wealth creators of the world, I will insist that you must imbibe Mahatma Gandhi’s lessons of life which are not inconsistent with the ethics of business. Without ethics, success was sinful for Gandhiji,” she added.

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Murmu advised students to aim for excellence in professional and personal lives, and live up to the great legacy which comes along with their association with IIM Bangalore. She said that they should not complain about the world they inherited but should leave behind a world where future generations have nothing to complain about and where they can live with harmony, optimism, prosperity and equality.

Murmu also interacted with the women entrepreneurs and officials of the N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning at IIM Bangalore. The President said that IIM Bangalore has been nurturing and promoting management talent and resources. In the last 50 years, it has not only produced managers but also leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers.

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Education at this institution prepares the best of minds to deal with problems, challenges and issues not only in the boardrooms, workplace and the marketplace, but also in every imaginable and perceivable walk of life. She said since its inception, professionalism, efficiency and competency have been the defining features on which IIM Bangalore has stood tall and proved its mettle.

She added that it has pioneered innovation and capacity building and has left a lasting impact on education and research. “…..This institution not only equips its members with professional skills, tools and resources, but also guides them towards self-development and enlightenment, and helps them discover the talent hidden within themselves,” she said. She said that we are living in exciting times and this is the age of the fourth Industrial Revolution.

The work being done by the IIM Bangalore’s Data Centre and Analytical Lab in the areas of artificial intelligence, big data, and machine learning will have a profound impact on the future of business and economy. The President congratulated IIM Bangalore for being the coordinating institute for management education for ‘SWAYAM’, the Government of India’s online education platform created to bridge the digital divide by helping the students who have remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.

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“India is a nation on the move with a highly young and dynamic demography. Hence, the work done by IIM Bangalore’s Centre for Public Policy in the domain of public policy research and skill development of youth through the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship programme is not only necessary but also praiseworthy,” she noted.

She also recalled that during the pandemic when the world was reeling under one of the worst and unprecedented tragedies in human history, the N. S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning ran an online women’s entrepreneurship programme, supported by the National Commission for Women. It was attended by thousands of women entrepreneurs.

“The Women Start-up Programme, which NSRCEL designed and delivered, with initial support from the Department of Science and Technology is truly commendable. I am delighted to learn that NSRCEL, through its various programmes, has impacted close to 3,000 women entrepreneurs to date”, she said.

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