Chandigarh University Hosts 3rd Edition of 'CU Scholars' Summit 2026', 3000 CUCET 2026 Toppers from 22 States & UTs Felicitated

"India's youth should not merely become job seekers but should rather become job creators. Numerous schemes such as Startup India, Stand-Up India, Skill India, Digital India, PM eVIDYA, SWAYAM, the National Digital Library, the Atal Innovation Mission, and PM Vidya Lakshmi are being implemented to empower the youth to become self-reliant. Rather than migrating abroad, youth should work for India's development," said Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria at the inauguration of the third edition of Chandigarh University's 'CU Scholars' Summit 2026'.

 

Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria, inaugurated the Summit as the Chief Guest in the presence of Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University and Prof (Dr) RS Bawa, Advisor to Chancellor of Chandigarh University along with other dignitaries.

 

The CU Scholars' Summit 2026' kicked off with felicitation of top achievers of its admission-cum-scholarship entrance exam, Chandigarh University Common Entrance Test 2026 (CUCET 2026), as part of Chandigarh University's endeavour to give due recognition to talent and merit.

 

The CU Scholars' Summit 2026 is being attended by CEOs, Vice Presidents, industry leaders, Bollywood actors and renowned artists to share their thoughts with students to help them prepare for the changing job roles in the rapidly evolving industry.

 

About 3000 students from various streams selected from 22 States and Union Territories including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and other states are attending the Summit. In all, 7000 top achievers of CUCET 2026 will be felicitated by the Chandigarh University during the two phases of CU Scholars' Summit 2026.

 

The 3rd CU Scholars' Summit 2026 included star-studded interactive sessions with motivational speakers, industry experts and celebrities including popular comedian and actor Kiku Sharda, actor Chunky Panday, Mandeep Singh, Senior Vice President & Global Head, Hitachi Systems India, Sushil Kumar Tripathi, Vice President of Technology, Kellton Tech Solutions Ltd, Dr S Mangesh, GM (Satellites), NSIL/ISRO, Rajveer Gambhir, Deputy Director General, SIA- India, Subi Chaturvedi, Global SVP, Chief Corporate Affairs & Public Policy Officer, InMobi, Air Vice Marshal (Dr) Devesh Vatsa VSM, Advisor, DSCI NASSCOM, Prof (Dr) YVN Krishnamurthy, former Director- IIRS, NRSC, NARL and IIST, Dev Tripathy, CFO, Philips India, Dr Sachin Gulati, Director, Talent Acquisition, American Express, Preeti Chaudhary, Founder, Harvest Global SSP, Dr Gaurav Raina, Chief Scientist at CHAI Lab, Rajat Bedi, Indo-Canadian Actor-Producer, Sushil Khosla, Head Operations Management & CSR, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Ankit Jhamb, Chief Learning Officer, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP and Rishi Seth, GTM, Products, Growth & Strategy – APAC & GCCs, Fractal.

 

In his keynote address, Punjab Governor Kataria said, "India's youth should not look solely towards the West for education and research, but also reconnect with deep-seated roots of the country's knowledge heritage. You are the direct inheritors of the intellectual and scientific legacy of the great Aryabhatta, Charaka, Sushruta, Panini, and Chanakya. Within you, too, lies hidden that very same brilliance, research acumen and spirit of inquiry that will once again elevate India to the pinnacle of global leadership as the 'Vishwa Guru' in the 21st century".

 

"Once again this year, scholarships worth approximately Rs 200 crore are being awarded by Chandigarh University. No university in India has such a merit-based scholarship scheme. Of the 7,000 meritorious students being felicitated during this Summit, 2,800 are daughters; which is about 40% of total scholarships. Over the past 13 years, Chandigarh University has extended scholarships to approximately 2 lakh students across various other categories—of whom more than 82,000 are our daughters. This staggering figure stands as a testament to the noble vision and unwavering resolve that is transforming the Honorable Prime Minister's clarion call of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) into a tangible reality," he added.

 

In his address, Prof (Dr) YVN Krishnamurthy, former Scientist ISRO, Director- IIRS, NRSC, NARL and IIST said, "We were asked the purpose of Chandrayaan Mission and told India was too late as many countries have already landed on the Moon. But the aim of our Mission was to find out water which is essential for life on moon whereas the other major countries lost the purpose in the race for landing first (on Moon). India is the first to find out the hydroxy molecules on the moon. That's where India is different from the world."

 

"At International Astronautical Federation, Buzz Aldrin - the second person to walk on the Moon – told the Press that if the humanity has to make a habitation on any other part in the space as moon or Mars without the help of ISRO, the world cannot do it. That's India's strength and future because the world looks at India to solve the problems of the globe," he added.

 

In his address, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University said, "Chandigarh University has always strived to remove financial obstacles faced by meritorious and economically weaker students. So the aim of CUCET-2026 Scholarship is to encourage meritorious students and paves the way for their bright future. Chandigarh University is trying to contribute to the realization of the dreams of the students through scholarships,".

 

One of the key highlights of the Summit was the guided exploration of Chandigarh University's expansive campus, allowing students to discover cutting-edge laboratories, world-class facilities, and dynamic learning spaces.