Kumar Bahukhandi
Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan presents a degree certificate during the third convocation of AIIMS Raipur on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. Governor Ramen Deka is to the Vice President’s left, while Health and Medical Education Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal (third from left) and Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal (second from left), along with other dignitaries, attend the ceremony-Photo Credit:channel24india.com via CG/DPR
Radhakrishnan says Chhattisgarh’s transition from Left-Wing Extremism to development shows what political will, security and governance can achieve; 689 students receive degrees
Key Highlights
- 689 students received degrees — 376 women and 313 men.
- 16 awards recognised outstanding academic performance.
- Vice President Radhakrishnan described AIIMS Raipur as a symbol of Chhattisgarh’s transformation.
- He linked the decline of Left-Wing Extremism with stronger security measures and development-oriented governance.
- AIIMS Raipur’s kidney transplant success rate was cited as exceeding 95 per cent.
- Graduates were urged to combine medical knowledge with compassion, ethics and public service.
- Students took a “Say No to Drugs” pledge.
Raipur : Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 told graduating doctors at AIIMS Raipur that receiving a medical degree was not merely the culmination of their education but the beginning of a much larger responsibility towards the health, trust and lives of people.
Addressing the third convocation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, Radhakrishnan linked the growth of the institution with the wider transformation taking place in Chhattisgarh, particularly in areas that had remained affected by Left-Wing Extremism for decades.
A total of 689 students — 376 women and 313 men — received degrees at the convocation, while 16 awards were presented for outstanding academic performance.
The degrees you receive today will tomorrow place an even more valuable responsibility in your hands — the health, trust and lives of the people of India.” — Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan
The Vice President said AIIMS Raipur, established in 2012, had emerged within a relatively short period as an important tertiary healthcare, medical education and research institution for Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states.
Its expanding healthcare services, he said, were particularly important for rural and tribal communities that historically faced difficulties in accessing advanced medical treatment.
From Conflict to Healthcare and Opportunity
Moving beyond the conventional convocation message, Radhakrishnan devoted a significant part of his address to Chhattisgarh’s changing development landscape.
Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan receives a memento during the third convocation of AIIMS Raipur on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, as Governor Ramen Deka, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel, Chhattisgarh Health and Medical Education Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal and other dignitaries look on-Photo Credit:channel24india.com via CG/DPR
He recalled how difficult terrain, inadequate connectivity and Left-Wing Extremism had for years impeded the construction of roads, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure in remote and tribal areas.
The situation, he said, had undergone a fundamental change.
“Chhattisgarh is emerging from the darkness of its past and moving towards a new era of prosperity, development and progress.” — Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan
He credited the transformation to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the strategic resolve of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.
Radhakrishnan said areas once identified primarily with violence were increasingly being associated with roads, schools, hospitals, connectivity, investment and new opportunities.
“The transformation demonstrates what strong political will, a firm security policy and development-oriented governance can achieve.” — C. P. Radhakrishnan
The Vice President described AIIMS Raipur as one of the visible symbols of this changing Chhattisgarh — representing a transition from fear and deprivation towards peace, progress and opportunity.
Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan (C) with Governor Ramen Deka, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel, Chhattisgarh Health and Medical Education Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal, AIIMS Raipur President Prof. (Dr) Sanjeev Handa, Executive Director Lt Gen Ashok Jindal (Retd) and other dignitaries at the third convocation of AIIMS Raipur on Wednesday, September 2, 2026-Photo Credit:channel24india.com via CG/DPR
He highlighted the institute’s advances in specialised healthcare, including kidney transplantation, where the institution has reported a success rate exceeding 95 per cent, along with corneal and ear transplantation services. Approval for a heart transplant programme, he said, marked another important step in bringing advanced medical treatment closer to people in the region.
Women Outnumber Men Among Graduates
The composition of the graduating class provided another notable feature of the ceremony.
Of the 689 degree recipients, 376 were women and 313 men, reflecting the increasing participation of women in medical and higher education.
Radhakrishnan also referred to the broader national trend, saying women’s enrolment in higher education had risen from 1.57 crore in 2014-15 to 2.24 crore in 2023-24.
He stressed that India’s ambition of becoming a developed nation could succeed only when development reached every state, district and village, with access to quality higher education forming an important part of that transformation.
Addressing the young doctors directly, the Vice President urged them to remain firmly away from drugs and contribute to an India in which technological progress and opportunities reach every citizen.
“May your knowledge bring health, your research bring innovation and your service inspire others.” — C. P. Radhakrishnan
Governor Ramen Deka, meanwhile, reminded the graduates that medical education could not be measured solely through knowledge and professional skills.
A doctor’s excellence, he said, was also determined by patience, compassion, ethical conduct and the manner in which patients were treated with dignity and respect.
Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel referred to national healthcare initiatives including Ayushman Bharat, PM-JAY, ABHA and e-Sanjeevani and called upon young doctors to combine medical excellence with preventive healthcare, research, ethics and service to society.
AIIMS Raipur Executive Director Lt Gen Ashok Jindal (Retd) outlined the institution’s progress in medical education, research, innovation and patient-centred healthcare.
Chhattisgarh Health and Medical Education Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal, AIIMS Raipur President Prof. (Dr) Sanjeev Handa, faculty members, graduating students and their families attended the ceremony.
The graduates were also administered a pledge to “Say No to Drugs.”
For the students leaving AIIMS Raipur with degrees in their hands, however, the Vice President left them with a message extending well beyond academic achievement: medical knowledge acquires its real value when it is placed in the service of human life.
