Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for its diversity and appreciated the varsity’s “unprecedented” contribution to the society during the coronavirus pandemic.

“People tell me that the AMU campus is like a city in itself. We see a mini India among different departments, dozens of hostels, thousands of teachers and professors. The diversity which we see here is not only the strength of this university but also of the entire nation,” he said while addressing the AMU’s centenary celebrations.

“The way AMU has helped society during the coronavirus crisis is unprecedented. Getting thousands of people to do free tests, building isolation wards, building plasma banks and contributing a large amount to the PM CARES Fund shows the seriousness of fulfilling your obligations to society. With such organised efforts, India is successfully combating the global epidemic like Corona, keeping the country paramount,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that AMU has also worked to strengthen India’s relations with many countries of the world in the last 100 years. He also recalled Sir Sayyad’s remark that the first and foremost duty of one who is concerned about his country is to work for the welfare of all people, irrespective of the caste, creed or religion.