The first convocation of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Srinagar was held today at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre in Srinagar. Union Minister for Textiles and Women and Child Development Smt Smriti Zubin Irani was the Chief Guest on the occasion and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju was the Guest of Honour. Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha attended the ceremony through video conferencing from Raj Bhawan Jammu.
Speaking on the occasion, Smt Irani said that the first batch of NIFT Srinagar has added a golden page in the 35-year-old history of the institution. She inspired the students to be prepared for whatever life has to offer and expressed faith that with the training imparted to them at NIFT, they would be equipped to deal with any tests and hardships that may come their way. The Minister said that the Govt of Jammu and Kashmir has recently announced a package of Rs. 30,000 Crore as part of the J&K Industrial Policy and urged upon the students to put in their best efforts to reap benefit from it.
Smt Irani added that the field of technical textiles, which involves production and design of textiles for use in industries other than apparel and decoration, is going to be the next big thing in the future and the Textiles Ministry is making efforts to utilise its potential to the fullest. She said that NIFT will work towards introducing technical textiles as an academic subject in the near future.
Congratulating the graduates and their parents, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju urged the students to make best use of the opportunities available to them as the apparel and fashion industry has a lot of potential. He said that the youth of India has an important role to play in defining and portraying soft image and soft power of the country and that the alumni of NIFT Srinagar will play a pioneering role in this direction.
NIFT Srinagar offers two undergraduate courses in Fashion Design and Fashion Communication of four years duration each.
