CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Panjab University will confer degrees on 767 students at its 73rd annual convocation on Saturday, with Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria presiding over the ceremony, university officials said.
Of the total recipients, 420 are undergraduate and postgraduate students, while 347 will be awarded PhD degrees. The event will also see the conferral of four honorary doctorate degrees and four PU Ratna awards.
This year’s ceremony departs from tradition, as the Vice President of India, who serves as the Chancellor of the university, will not attend. Chancellor C.P. Radhakrishnan has cancelled his visit to the campus due to the tense atmosphere following prolonged protests over Senate reforms and delayed elections, officials said.
“Although the Chancellor will not be present in person, a recorded message from him will be played during the convocation,” a PU official said.
Women dominate the list of degree recipients across categories. Among undergraduate and postgraduate degree holders, 332 of the 420 recipients are women. The gender gap is most pronounced at the postgraduate level, where 251 women will receive degrees compared with 66 men.
Women also account for a majority of doctoral recipients, with 220 of the 347 PhD degrees going to women, continuing a long-standing trend at the university.
Academically, the Faculty of Science leads across categories, accounting for 161 UG-PG degrees and 104 PhDs. Business Management and Commerce follows with 74 degrees, while the Faculty of Arts will award 65 degrees.
