HIGHLIGHTING the importance of alumni in Universities, Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that Universities are known for their alumni, not infrastructure. He was speaking at Laxminarayan Innovation Technological University’s (LITU) Alumni Association’s (LITAA) two-day Global Alumni Meet ‘Udaan 2025-26’ at Persistent System’s Kavikulguru Kalidas Auditorium, IT Park.

 

The Chief Minister emphasised that LITU must evolve into a major centre of innovation, particularly in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, energy transition, and green jobs, which will play a crucial role in the future economy, and the government’s vision for a Viksit Bharat 2047. He praised LITU for consistently producing skilled manpower across sectors. He also highlighted the Maharashtra government’s mission on natural farming and appealed to LITU and Zydex Industries to actively participate in it.

  

During the ceremony, the Jeevan Gaurav Puruskar was conferred on Prof Dr R L Sonolikar, Prof Arun Dandekar, and Deepak Devendra Fadnavis, Satyanarayan Nuwal, Dr Atul Vaidya, Mohan Pande, Dr G D Yadav, Madhav Labhe, and other dignitaries along with the award recipients. (Pic by Satish Raut) Lawale in recognition of their long-standing contributions to the institution and the profession.

 

The ‘Jewel of LIT’ honours were presented to Dr Sugandha Garve, Kirti Ganorkar, R G Krishnan, Amit Sinha, and Neera Chandana, while Chintan Shah was named the ‘Youth Icon’ for his remarkable achievements at a young age. Rajesh Gupta, Utkarsh Khopkar, Chancellor nominee Management Council member and Mohan Pande, Principal Advisor to LIT University were felicitated by Fadnavis.

 

A special issue of LIT Samvad was released on the occasion Dr Ganapati Yadav, a Padma Shri recipient and Chairman of the Board of Governors, said the university had produced not only job seekers but also job creators. He expressed confidence that the alumni gathering would help shape the university’s future direction. Satyanarayan Nuwal, Chairman of Solar Group of Industries, acknowledged LITU’s contribution to his organisation’s growth and underlined the importance of values, cultural understanding, and social sensitivity alongside technical knowledge for national development.

 

In his introductory address, Madhav Labhe, President, LITAA, reviewed the institute’s progress and thanked the Chief Minister for granting university status to LIT. He said the university was generating its own energy and would soon begin exporting it. He also spoke about initiatives to develop Vidarbha as a hub for organic and natural farming.VC Dr Vaidya, in his concluding remarks, announced that the university would soon launch an artificial intelligence course and establish a manufacturing centre, expressing confidence that the institution would continue to produce industry-ready professionals.