Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 54th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology on Tuesday as the chief guest.

The prime minister launched blockchain-based digital degrees at the ceremony. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the function as guests of honour.

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The students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the institute under the National Blockchain Project.

“When you took admission in IIT Kanpur, you must’ve had a fear of unknown. IIT Kanpur has taken you out of that and given you a massive canvas. Today, you have the belief to explore the entire world, the quest for the best,” PM Modi said at the 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur.

“In this 75th year of independence, we have over 75 unicorns, over 50,000 start-ups. Of these, 10,000 have come only in the last 6 months. Today India has emerged as the second-largest startup hub in the world,” PM Modi said.

These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable. IIT-K is hosting physical convocation after a year as it was held virtually last year.

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According to a statement from the premier institute, students can attend the ceremony either in person or virtually on the online platform made available for this purpose.

Meanwhile, PM Modi will also inaugurate the Kanpur Metro rail project in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur city.

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The new 9km long section stretches from IIT-Kanpur to Moti Jheel in the city.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Modi will also undertake a ride from the IIT Metro station to Geeta Nagar after the inauguration.