Jalandhar, Jan. 17 -- President Droupadi Murmu's scheduled visit to the Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT) for its 21st convocation was cancelled on Friday due to dense fog and poor visibility across the region. The President, who had stayed overnight in Amritsar after attending Guru Nanak Dev University's golden jubilee convocation, was unable to take off as visibility was below 50 metres. According to officials, the President was slated to land at Adampur airport and proceed to the campus via the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an orange alert for the Majha and Doaba regions, citing dense fog. While high-security arrangements led to early morning traffic diversions on the Jalandhar-Amritsar and Hoshiarpur roads, the restrictions were later eased following the cancellation. The President later left for Rajasthan for the 1008 Kundiya Hanuman Mahayagya organised by Ramanand Mission in Jaipur. In the President's absence, Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria chaired the ceremony at NIT, where degrees were conferred upon 1,452 students, including 1,011 BTech, 238 MTech, 92 PhD, 90 MSc, and 21 MBA graduates, alongside 31 academic medals for top performers. The governor who was also present at the Guru Nanak Dev University convocation on Thursday travelled to Jalandhar via road. Addressing the students, Kataria called upon the youth to utilise their capabilities and education for the welfare of the nation and society, asserting that students were the future of the country on whom India's progress was dependent. He urged the young graduates to achieve high positions through their abilities, improve the lives of their families and contribute actively towards building a strong and progressive nation. He emphasised that along with degrees, character building was equally important for creating a great nation. He also lauded the institute's contribution in producing world-class engineers and praised its work in research and innovation. "The students must take the lead in water conservation, empowering farmers, women empowerment and eradication of drugs," he said. Meanwhile, NIT director Binod Kumar Kanaujia highlighted the achievements of the institute and reiterated its commitment to nation-building through quality education, research and innovation....