New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday urged students to embrace Hindi, adopt swadeshi, and uphold the spirit of Antyodaya to help shape a developed India by 2047.

Addressing the annual day and prize distribution ceremony of Delhi University's Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) College, Gupta assured that her government would not allow funding shortages to hamper the growth of the institution.

"This college has struggled a lot in the past. What kind of education model did the previous government talk about, where teachers and professors were not getting their salaries for months? I will ensure that no work in college gets struck because of a lack of funding," she said.

The chief minister also urged students to be proud of their roots. "People feel privileged to say my Hindi is weak or that I studied in a government school. I want to say our future will only be secure and bright when we accept our present with pride," she added.

Gupta paid tribute to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, calling him a guiding force for the nation. "To run a country with such diversity was not easy, but it was possible only because of personalities like his, who gave the concept of Antyodaya - reaching the last man in the queue. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following this concept," she said.

She emphasised that along with academic excellence, instilling a sense of patriotism was essential. "No matter which degree we give to our students, the most important thing is the country," Gupta said, expressing hope that the college would celebrate its golden and platinum jubilees with pride in the coming years.

In a post on X in Hindi, she congratulated the newly elected student union and said her government had swiftly resolved issues of salaries and infrastructure in Delhi University colleges. "Our youth power is the builder of a developed India 2047. Embrace swadeshi, promote and propagate Hindi, and move towards innovation," she added.

The event was attended by MLA Sandeep Sahrawat, college faculty members, and several dignitaries from Delhi University.