CHANDIGARH,11.04.24-As many as 1033 meritorious students were felicitated for their outstanding achievements’ in the field of academics, sports and extracurricular activities during the Annual Prize Distribution function held at Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Chandigarh, today.

Amid thunderous applause, Chief Guest of the function, Dr. Arvind, Vice –Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala along with the distinguished members of the management, GGDSD College Society and Principal, Dr. Ajay Sharma awarded 85 students the Roll of Honour and 105 students were felicitated with College Colour. As many as 494 students were awarded Certificate of Distinction, likewise 349 received the Certificate of Merit. Sixteen faculty members were also honoured for completing Ph.D. during session 2023-24.

Dr. Anirudh Joshi, General Secretary, GGDSD College Society, delivered the welcome address, lauded the Chief Guest for his phenomenal professional achievements and academic contributions and congratulated the young ‘achievers’ of the college.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Arvind applauded the steadfast efforts of the college for maintaining contemporary relevant by promoting research, skill development and innovation with an aim to strive for excellence and holistic development of its students. He congratulated the award winning students, advising them to hone their core competencies, work hard with perseverance and dedication to achieve their goals in life. He further advocated the importance of staying grounded and grateful to their parents, teachers, institution, peers and friends.

College Principal, Dr. Ajay Sharma read the annual report. Recounting the glorious achievements of the college, he proudly stated that the college has won Overall Trophy for Panjab University Youth and Heritage Festival Chandigarh Zone A for the ninth consecutive time and Shadi Lal Overall Memorial trophy for Men, for the third time in a row. Dr. Sharma expressed delight in mentioning that GGDSD College is the only college under Panjab University which has been sanctioned Grant under PM USHA Scheme of Education and has also bagged the title of ‘The Best College in Sports’ among more than 200 colleges affiliated to Panjab University.

The college boasts of sportsperson excelling in International Tournaments; Angad Bir Singh has bagged gold in Junior Asia Cup held at Oman, Gold in Sultan of Johar Cup, Silver in Germany four nations International Hockey Tournament; Asmita Malla has won Gold in Sepakpakraw at the South Asian Championship held at Nepal. Monika and SezoveluDozo won Bronze in Sepakpakraw at the world Championship, the 36th King’s Cup 2023, held in Thailand.

Enumerating the noteworthy achievements of the college, Dr. Sharma shared that the Ministry of Education has bestowed the college with Certificate of Appreciation for successfully conducting entrepreneurship activities to promote innovation. The college received Certificate of Recognition from the Ministry of Education for being a Sustainable Campus, won the Green Ambassador Award and has been declared as the ‘Eat Right Campus’ by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. He added that Haritima- the Environment Society of the college has won the Best Eco Club Award and a cash prize of Rs. 15,000/- from the Department of Environment, Chandigarh Administration. The Institution Innovation Council of the college has received a 3.5-star rating by the Ministry of Education, second time in a row and the college has placed around 500 students in campus placements and has provided internships to many more. Dr. Sharma expressed his admiration for a faculty of Department of Physics, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar who was named among the top 2% scientists in the World-Elsevier/Stanford list and sixteen faculty members who have completed their doctoral degrees.

Mentioning about accreditation and rankings, Dr. Ajay Sharma shared that GGDSD College has been re- accredited with ‘A+’ Grade in the fourth cycle by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The University Grants Commission(UGC), New Delhi has rated the Department of Commerce and Management, Bio-Sciences and Economics as ‘High Rated Departments’. “The brand image of GGDSD College is being acknowledged in various ranking surveys'', said the Principal, highlighting its position among top 100-150 colleges of India by National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), a distinction achieved by 0.002% colleges Pan-India. Illustrating his statement further, Dr Ajay also highlighted the positions secured by the college in top national magazines namely, The India Today, The Week, Outlook and The Open Magazine.

The grand spectacle ended with a Vote of Thanks proposed by Dr Prem kanwal Bajaj, General Secretary, GGDSD College Society followed by the National Anthem.