Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab inaugurated its flagship programme titled Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (AKAM-EBSB) on Friday, August 5. The varsity was selected as a "Sender and ‘Receiver" university by the Ministry of Education under this programme.

The AKAM-EBSB is a student exchange programme. LPU organised an opening ceremony on Friday to welcome 52 students from different institutions of Andhra Pradesh to its campus, as a "receiver" varsity. These students will be in the LPU campus for five days.

Andhra Pradesh is the "paired state" for LPU under this student exchange initiative. As a "sender", LPU has already sent its students to an institution in Visakhapatnam. The objective of the exchange programme is to acquaint the students with the other state's culture, customs and history.

Professor Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), who was the chief guest at the opening ceremony, addressed the event virtually. He stated that learning outside the classrooms is often more important for a student as it adds to ethics and values by sensing the things on mixing with other people of diverse nature and culture, as per a press release by LPU.

Member Secretary, AICTE, Professor Rajive Kumar; Adviser to AICTE, Dr Ravinder Kumar Soni; Deputy Director, MG Vamsi Krishna; LPU Pro-Chancellor Rashmi Mittal and other prominent delegates of AICTE, staff and faculty members of various participating Andhra Pradesh institutions and LPU were also present at the ceremony.

The EBSB initiative was announced by Prime minister Narendra Modi in the year 2015, on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The aim is to enhance the knowledge of the culture, traditions and practices of different states and Union Territories among students.