Bhopal | The degrees awarded at the convocation of Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya (RDVV) in Jabalpur on Sunday, to be attended by President Droupadi Murmu, will carry the word 'Bharat' instead of 'India', a senior official said.
The university decided to use the word 'Bharat' following a resolution passed by its executive council, Vice-Chancellor Rajesh Verma told PTI on the eve of the event.
"The executive council resolved that degrees, marksheets and all official correspondence of the university should carry the word 'Bharat' instead of 'India'. Since then, the change has been implemented across all university communications," he added.
All communications related to the ceremony, including invitations, banners, posters and official correspondence, refer to Murmu as the "President of Bharat" and describe the institution as "Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur, MP, Bharat", said Dr Verma.
The VC claimed that the university was among the first state-run higher education institutions in the country to issue degrees with the word 'Bharat' instead of 'India'.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, the VC said, "The Constitution says, 'India, that is Bharat'. Article 1(1) of the Constitution states: 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.'"
Verma also recalled that the expressions "President of Bharat" and "Prime Minister of Bharat" had attracted national attention during India's G20 Presidency.
According to some officials, several institutions in Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Chhattisgarh have started using 'Bharat' in official correspondence.
The President is scheduled to confer 20 of the 66 gold medals being awarded at the convocation ceremony, Dr Verma said.
A total of 156 PhDs, three Doctor of Literature (D Litt) degrees, one Doctor of Science (D Sc) degree and one honorary doctorate will also be awarded during the ceremony, he added.
