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Mann Ki Baat

 My dear countrymen, Namaskar. Today we are coming together through yet another episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’. This is the first ‘Mann Ki Baat’ of 2022. Today we will once again take forward discussions which are related to the positive inspirations and collective efforts of our country and countrymen. Today is also the death anniversary of our revered Bapu Mahatma Gandhi ji. The 30th of January reminds us of the teachings of Bapu. Just a few days ago, we celebrated Republic Day as well. The display of the nation’s valour and strength, which we witnessed on Rajpath in Delhi filled everyone with pride and enthusiasm. One change you must have noticed is that now the Republic Day functions will start from the 23rd of January, i.e. the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and will continue till the 30th of January i.e. Gandhiji’s death anniversary. A digital sculpture of Netaji has also been installed at India Gate. We can never forget the way the country welcomed this, the wave of joy that arose from every corner of the country; the kind of feelings expressed by every countryman.

 

Friends, in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the country is re-establishing its national symbols through these efforts. We saw that the ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ near India Gate and the Jyoti lit at the ‘National War Memorial’ in the vicinity, were merged. There were tears in the eyes of many countrymen and martyr families on this emotional occasion. At the ‘National War Memorial’, the names of all the bravehearts of the country who have been martyred since Independence have been inscribed. Some former soldiers of the army have written to me saying that – “The ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ lit at the memorial is a symbol of the immortality of the martyrs”. Truly, like ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ our martyrs, their inspiration and their contribution are also immortal. I would urge all of you to certainly visit the ‘National War Memorial’ whenever you get an opportunity. Do take along your family and children too. Here you will feel a different energy and inspiration.

 

Friends, in the midst of these events of Amrit Mahotsav, many important national awards were also given away in the country. One of them is the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Baal Puraskaar. These awards are given to the children who have rendered courageous and inspirational work at a young age. We all must highlight about these children in our homes. Our children will also get inspiration from this and the enthusiasm to bring glory to the country will be awakened in them. Padma awards have also just been announced in the country. There are many names among the recipients of Padma awards, about whom very few people know. These are the unsung heroes of our country, who have done extraordinary deeds in ordinary circumstances. For example, Basanti Devi of Uttarakhand, who has been honored with Padma Shri, lived her whole life in the midst of struggles. Her husband died at an early age and she had started living in an ashram. Staying there, she fought to save the river and made an extraordinary contribution to the environment. She has also done a lot of work for the empowerment of women. Similarly, 77-year-old Lorembam Beino Devi of Manipur has been conserving the Liba textile art of Manipur for decades. She has also been awarded the Padma Shri. Arjun Singh of Madhya Pradesh has received Padma award for imparting recognition to the art of Baiga tribal dance. Another person to receive the Padma award is Shriman Amai Mahalinga Naik. He is a farmer and hails from Karnataka. Some people also call him Tunnel Man. He has made such innovations in agriculture, seeing which anyone could be surprised. Small farmers are getting huge benefit from his efforts. There are many more such unsung heroes who have been honoured by the country for their contribution. You must try to know about them. We will get to learn a lot from them in life.

 

My dear countrymen, all of you send a lot of letters and messages, including many suggestions in connection with The Amrit Mahotsav. Under this series something has happened which is unforgettable for me. More than one crore children have written to me through their ‘Mann Ki Baat’ post cards. These one crore post cards have come from different parts of the country; they have also come from abroad. I have tried to take time out to read many of these post cards. These postcards show how broad and wide is the vision of our new generation for the future of the country. I have shortlisted some postcards for the listeners of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ which I want to share with you. Like this one is the post card of Riddhima Swargiyari from Guwahati, Assam. Riddhima is a student of class 7th and she has written that she wants to see an India in the 100th year of independence which is the cleanest country in the world, completely free of terrorism, included in the 100 percent literate countries, Zero accident country, and be capable of food security with sustainable technology. Riddhima, what our daughters think, the dreams they see for the country, do come true. When everyone’s efforts come together, when your young generation will work towards this goal, you will definitely make India the way you want her to be. I have also got a post card of Navya Verma of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Navya has written that her dream for 2047 is of an India where everyone has a dignified life, where farmers are prosperous and there is no corruption.

 

Navya, your dream for the country is very commendable. The country is also moving rapidly in this direction. You talked about a corruption free India. Corruption hollows the country like a termite. Why wait for 2047 to get rid of it? All of us countrymen, today’s youth have to do this work together, as soon as possible and for this it is very important that we give priority to our duties. Where duty is felt, Duty is paramount, corruption cannot even think of entering there.

 

Friends, in front of me is another postcard of Mohammed Ibrahim from Chennai. Ibrahim wants to see India as a major power in the field of defence in 2047. He wants that India should have its own research base on the Moon, and that India should start the work of settling the human population on Mars. Ibrahim also sees a big role for India in making the earth free from pollution. Ibrahim, nothing is impossible for a country that has youth like you.

 

Friends, I have another letter in front of me sent by Bhavna, a class 10th student of Saraswati Vidya Mandir in Raisen, Madhya Pradesh. First of all, I will say to Bhavna that I really liked the way you have decorated your postcard with the Tricolor. Bhavna has written about revolutionary Shirish Kumar.

 

Friends, I have also received Laurencio Pereira’s postcard from Goa. She is a student of class 12th. The subject of her letter is also – Unsung Heroes of Freedom. I am sharing with you its essence in Hindi. She has written that Bhikaji Cama was one of the bravest women involved in the Indian freedom struggle. She carried out many campaigns in the country and abroad to empower daughters; organized many exhibitions. Certainly Bhikaji Cama was one of the most courageous women of the freedom movement. In 1907, she hoisted the Tricolor in Germany. The person who supported her in designing this Tricolor was  Shri Shyamji Krishna Varma. Shri Shyamji Krishna Varma ji died in 1930 in Geneva. His last wish was that after India’s independence, his ashes should be brought to India. Although his ashes should have been brought back to India on the very next day of independence in 1947, this did not happen. Maybe it was the wish of the Almighty to assign me this work… and I was fortune to fulfil this duty. In the year 2003, when I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, his ashes were brought to India. A memorial has also been constructed in the memory of Shyamji Krishna Varma ji at his birth place, Mandvi in ​​Kutch.

 

Friends, the enthusiasm of India’s Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is not limited to our country. I have also received 75 postcards from Croatia, a friendly country of India. Students of the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, Croatia have sent these 75 cards to the people of India and congratulated them on the Amrit Mahotsav. On behalf of all countrymen, I thank Croatia and her people.

 

My dear countrymen, India has been the sacred land of education and knowledge. We have not confined education to bookish knowledge, but have seen it as a holistic experience of life. The great personalities of our country have also had a deep relationship with education. While Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya ji founded the Banaras Hindu University, Mahatma Gandhi played an important role in the establishment of Gujarat Vidyapeeth. There is a very lovely place in Anand, Gujarat – Vallabh Vidyanagar. On the insistence of Sardar Patel, two of his associates, Bhai Kaka and Bhikha Bhai, established education centres for the youth there. Similarly, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore established Shantiniketan in West Bengal. Maharaja Gaikwad was also one of the ardent supporters of education. He got many educational institutions built and inspired many personalities including Dr.Ambedkar and Shri Aurobindo for higher education. In the list of such great personalities, there is also the name of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh ji. Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh ji had handed over his house for the establishment of a technical school. He gave a lot of financial help for the construction of education centers in Aligarh and Mathura. Sometime back I also had the privilege of laying the foundation stone of a university in his name in Aligarh. I am happy that the same vibrant spirit of taking the light of education to the people continues in India even today. Do you know what is the most beautiful thing about this feeling? That is, this awareness about education is visible at every level in the society. The example of Taimmal ji living in Udumalpet block of Trippur district of Tamil Nadu is very inspiring. Taimmal ji does not have any land of her own. For years, her family is making a living by selling coconut water. The financial condition may not be good, but Taimmal ji had left no stone unturned to educate her son and daughter. Her children studied in Chinnaveerampatti Panchayat Union Middle School. One day in the meeting with the parents in the school, it was raised that the condition of the classrooms and school should be improved; the school infrastructure should be fixed. Taimmal ji was also in that meeting. She heard everything. In the same meeting, the discussion again came to a halt on the paucity of money for these works. After this, no one could have imagined what Taimmal did. Taimmal ji, who had accumulated some capital by selling coconut water, doanted one lakh rupees to the school.

 

Indeed, it takes a big heart, a sense of service, to do this. Taimmal ji says that in the school that is there has classes till 8th standard. Now when the infrastructure of the school improves, classes till higher secondary education will be held. This is the same sentiment I was talking about regarding education in our country. I have also come to know about a similar donation by an alumnus of IIT BHU. Jai Chaudhary, alumnus of BHU, donated one million dollars i.e. about seven and a half crores to IIT BHU Foundation.

 

Friends, in our country there are many people belonging to different fields, who are fulfilling their responsibility towards the society by helping others. I am very happy that such efforts are being seen continuously in the field of higher education especially in our different IITs. There is no dearth of such inspiring examples in Central Universities as well. To further enhance such efforts, from September last year, Vidyanjali Abhiyan has also been started in the country. Its objective is to improve the quality of education in schools across the country with the participation of various organizations, CSR and private sector. Vidyanjali is furthering the spirit of community participation and ownership. To be constantly connected with your school, college, to contribute something according to your ability, it is something whose fulfilment and joy  can be felt only through experience.

 

My dear countrymen, love for nature and compassion for every living being, this is our culture as well as innate nature. A glimpse of these Sanskaras of ours was seen recently when a tigress left the world in Pench Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh. People used to call this tigress collared tigress. The Forest Department named it T-15. The death of this tigress made people so emotional as if someone of their own had left the world. People performed her last rites, bid her farewell with full respect and affection. You must have also seen these pictures on social media. This love of Indians for nature and living beings was greatly appreciated the world over. The collared tigress gave birth to 29 cubs in her lifetime and raised 25 of them to maturity. We also celebrated this life of T-15 and when she left the world, we also gave her a heartfelt farewell. This is the specialty of the people of India. We make a relationship of love with every conscious being. We also got to see a similar sight this time in the Republic Day parade as well. In this parade, the charger mount of the President’s Bodyguard, Virat took part in his last parade. Horse Virat came to Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2003 and used to lead the parade every time on Republic Day as Commandant Charger. Even when a foreign head of state was welcomed in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Virat used to play this role. This year, on Army Day, horse Virat was also given COAS Commendation Card by the Army Chief. In view of Virat’s immense services, after his retirement he was given farewell in an equally grand manner.

 

My dear countrymen, when there is a sincere effort, work is done with a noble intention, results also follow. A great example of this has emerged from Assam. As soon as the name of Assam is taken, the thought of tea plantation and many national parks come to mind. Along with this, the picture of one horned rhinoceros i.e. one horn rhino also emerges in our mind. You all know that the one horned rhinoceros has always been a part of Assamese culture. This song of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika ji will resonate in every ear.

 

Friends, the meaning of this song is very relevant. This song says, the lush green surroundings of Kaziranga, the abode of elephants and tigers, the Earth watches one horned rhinoceros and listens to the melodious chirping of birds. The images of the rhinoceros are also seen in the Moonga and Eri dresses woven on the world famous handlooms of Assam. The rhinoceros, which has such great glory in the culture of Assam, also had to face difficulties. In 2013, 37 and in 2014, 32 rhinos were killed by poachers. To tackle this challenge, a huge campaign against the poaching of rhinoceros was launched in the last seven years with the special efforts of the Assam government. On the 22nd of September last year, on the occasion of World Rhino Day, more than 2400 horns seized from smugglers were burnt. This was a stern message to the poachers. The result of such efforts is that now there is a steady decrease in the hunting of rhinos in Assam. Where 37 rhinos were killed in 2013, 2 killings in 2020 and only 1 in 2021 have come to the fore. I appreciate the resolve of the people of Assam to save the rhinoceros.

 

Friends, the diverse colours and spiritual strength of Indian culture have always attracted people from all over the world. If I tell you that Indian culture is very popular in America, Canada, Dubai, Singapore, Western Europe and Japan, you will find this very common; you will not be surprised. But, if I say that Indian culture has a big attraction in Latin America and South America too, you will definitely think once. Whether it is a matter of promoting Khadi in Mexico or an attempt to popularize Indian traditions in Brazil, we have discussed these topics earlier in ‘Mann Ki Baat’. Today I will tell you about the Indian culture making its mark in Argentina. Our culture is very much liked in Argentina. In 2018, during my visit to Argentina, I participated in a yoga program – ‘Yoga for Peace’. There is an organization in Argentina – Hastinapur Foundation. You will be surprised to hear… whither Argentina… and Hastinapur Foundation there too! This foundation is involved in the propagation of Indian Vedic traditions in Argentina. It was founded 40 years ago by a lady, Professor Aida Albrecht. Professor Aida Albrecht is going to turn 90 today. How her association with India happened is also very interesting. When she was 18 years old, she was first introduced to the power of Indian culture. She also spent a lot of time in India. She studied about Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads in depth. Today the Hastinapur Foundation has more than 40,000 members and about 30 branches in Argentina and other Latin American countries. Hastinapur Foundation has also published more than 100 Vedic and philosophical texts in Spanish language. Her ashram is also very enchanting. Twelve temples have been built in the ashram, in which there are idols of many Gods and Goddesses. There is also a temple at the center of all this which has been built for Advaitwadi Dhyan.

 

Friends, hundreds of such examples prove that our culture is a priceless heritage not only for us, but for the whole world. People all over the world want to know it, want to understand it, and want to live it. We should also try to make our cultural heritage a part of our life with full responsibility and try to take it to all the people.

 

My dear countrymen, I now want to ask a question to you and especially to our youth. Now imagine how many push-ups you can do at once. What I am about to tell you will surely fill you with wonder? Thounaojam Niranjoy Singh, a 24-year-old youth in Manipur, has made a record of 109 push-ups in a minute. Breaking the record is nothing new for Niranjoy Singh, earlier also, he had held the record for most Knuckle push-ups with one hand in a minute. I am sure you will be inspired by Niranjoy Singh and make physical fitness a part of your life.

 

Friends, today I want to share with you one such information about Ladakh which you will definitely be proud to know about. Ladakh will soon be blessed with an impressive Open Synthetic Track and Astro Turf Football Stadium. This stadium is being built at a height of more than 10,000 feet and its construction is going to be completed soon. This will be the largest open stadium in Ladakh where 30,000 spectators can sit together. This modern football stadium in Ladakh will also have a synthetic track with 8 lanes. Apart from this, there will also be a hostel facility with one thousand beds. You will also like to know that this stadium has also been certified by FIFA, the biggest organization of football. Whenever such a big sports infrastructure comes up, it brings great opportunities to the youth of the country. Alongwith such an arrangement, movement of people from all over the country takes place, tourism gets promoted and many employment opportunities are created. The stadium will also benefit many of our youth in Ladakh.

 

My dear countrymen, this time also in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ we touched upon many topics. There is one more topic, which is on everyone’s mind at this time and that is of Corona. India is fighting with great success with the new wave of corona, it is also a matter of pride that till now about four and a half crore children have been administered the dose of Corona Vaccine. This means that about 60% of youth in the age group of 15 to 18 years have got their vaccines within three to four weeks. This will not only protect our youth but will also help them to continue with their studies. Another good thing is that within 20 days, one crore people have taken the precaution dose as well. This trust of our countrymen on the indigenous vaccine is our great strength. Now the cases of corona infection have also started decreasing – this is a very positive sign. People should be safe, the pace of economic activities of the country should be maintained – this is the wish of every countryman. And you already know, in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, there are certain things, I cannot stay without mentioning… like, we should not forget the’Swachhta Abhiyan’ ; we should accelerate the campaign against single use plastic; Vocal for Local mantra is our responsibility, we have to work wholeheartedly for the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign. With the efforts of all of us, the country will reach new heights of development. With this wish, I bid you farewell. Thank you very much

 

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The existing collection of books on freedom fighters in the Bhagat Singh Smarak to be converted into “Shaheed Smriti Pustakalaya”

 The University of Delhi organized a programme to pay homage and commemorate 90 years of martyrdom of our national icons of the Indian National Movement -Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru on ‘Shaheed Diwas’ in the Convention Hall of the Viceregal Lodge on 23rd March, 2021. Union Minister of Education , Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, graced the occasion virtually as the Chief Guest and Prof. P.C. Joshi, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi presided over the function. On this occasion Shaheed Bhagat Singh Smarak was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Education virtually.

 

To honour and value the sacrifices made by the National heroes and to drive out lessons of inspiration from their lives and times, the Government of India has declared 23rd March as ‘Shaheed Diwas’. History holds important lessons for the humanity and commemorating such events remind ourselves of the price paid by our ancestors for the freedom we enjoy today. Only by understanding its value we can keep the flame of freedom ignited among the people. 

On the occasion of the 97th convocation ceremony held at the University of Delhi, Shri Pokhriyal  stressed on the need of holding events that instil inspiration and pride in the youth of today, to absorb the values that our national heroes exemplified in making independent India a reality.

The existing collection of books on freedom fighters in the Bhagat Singh Smarak has been announced to be converted into “Shaheed Smriti  Pustakalaya” by the Union Minister of Education.  Tribute was paid to Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his associates through patriotic songs presented by the students and faculty members of the Music Faculty, University of Delhi. Homage was paid to Shaheed Bhagat Singh in the Chamber located in the basement of the Viceregal Lodge of the University where he was imprisoned.

The University organized various competitions–poetry, song, slogan and essay writing in all the Colleges. The topics for these competitions were related to Shaheed Diwas. The award winning students were felicitated by Prof. P.C. Joshi, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi. Later, the award winning students also showcased their talents in front of the guests. Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi announced that the Bhagat Singh Smarak shall remain open to the students and university community to inculcate values of freedom and sacrifice.

 

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Leveraging Blockchain, AI , ML, Cloud Computing for digital transformation

 Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired the 54th Meeting of the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) today through online medium. Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre; Secretary, Higher Education Shri Amit Khare was also present in the meeting.

Union Minister congratulated Heads of all IITs and Chairpersons (BoG) for successfully continuing the academics during the challenging times of COVID-19 and for their remarkable contribution in combating the COVID-19 by way of new scientific research. He exhorted the IITs to become a driving force behind realizing the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Shri Pokhriyal asked IITs to develop Institute Development Plan as envisioned in NEP 2020 to improve the mobility of faculty between institution and Industry. The mobility of faculty members and industry experts between technical institutes and industry will promote collaborations between industry and academia, he added. Earlier, a committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Dr K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Standing Committee for IIT Council for suggesting recruitment of faculties in IITs (Industry interaction and mobility of faculty).

Union Minister also urged IITs to adopt One IIT – One Thrust Area approach based on local needs.

Digital Transformation using Blockchain, AI, ML, and Cloud Computing at IITs also came up for discussion during the meeting. It was recommended to constitute a taskforce to review use of technology at all IITs and also to accelerate deployment of digital tools. It was also recommended to undertake rationalization of staff from current standards to a lower number.

On the basis of the recommendation of the Chairman of Standing Committee for IIT Council, four Working Groups were constituted on the following issues related to NEP-2020:

Group-1: Graded Autonomy, Empowered and accountable BoG and Director

Group-2: Grooming distinguished academics for directorship of IITs

Group-3: Reform and restructuring of the Academic Senate

Group-4: Innovative funding mechanisms

The reports of the these groups and also of a new group which will work on faculty development will be presented in a meeting to be chaired Union Education Minister.

The Council also put up for consideration a suggestion to arrange Online IIT R&D fair to showcase the quality research work being done by IITs to showcase the R&D work of IITs to the industry. This may be followed by a physical fair in after normalization of present situation.

Highlighting several initiatives undertaken by the government, Shri Pokhriyal mentioned about approval of funds to improve the overall infrastructure of the 4 IITs at Madras, Delhi Kharagpur and Bombay. He spoke about making IITs as multi-disciplinary institutions for holistic growth in all disciplines of education, without losing its main focus on Scientific Research and Technology Development. He called upon IITs to make full use of the recently announced scheme National Research Foundation. He hoped IITs will strive to achieve the global rankings by 2022, the 75th Year of India’s Independence. He assured IITs of every possible help and support in terms of finance, administrative guidance, issues relating to various other Ministries and agencies of the Government.   

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webinar on 'Cage aquaculture in Reservoir

 Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India organized a webinar on “Cage aquaculture in Reservoir: Sleeping Giants” today as a part of  “Azadi Ka Amrit Mohatsav”. The event was presided over by Shri Jatindra Nath Swain, Secretary, Department of Fisheries (DoF), Government of India (GOI) and well-attended by around 100 participants including officials of Department of Fisheries, GoI and fisheries officials of different States/UTs, faculties from State Agriculture, Veterinary and Fisheries universities, entrepreneurs, scientists, farmers, hatchery owners, students and stakeholders from aquaculture industry across the country.

 The Webinar began with the welcome address by Shri I. A. Siddiqui, Fisheries Development Commissioner, DoF along with introduction of the theme of the Webinar and the distinguished panellists, Shri Jatindra Nath Swain, Secretary, Shri Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary (Inland Fisheries) along with Dr. B. K. Das, Director, ICAR- Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) and other participants.

In his inaugural address, Union Secretary Fisheries, Shri Swain stated the importance of reservoirs and cage aquaculture for the development of fisheries sector.  Further, Mr. Swain advised to have robust cage culture system in reservoirs including potential markets to ensure good returns to the farmers and highlighted the examples of success stories across the globe and the country. Mr. Swain also requested the scientists and the Fisheries Departments of the States/ Uts to motivate fish farmers and develop innovative ways as well as policies for increasing profits, decreasing input cost, species diversification and increasing the production and productivity of cage culture systems in the reservoirs.

Shri Sagar Mehra, JS (Inland Fisheries), in his opening remarks, briefly stated the pivotal of reservoir fisheries and aquaculture in enhancing fish production using enclosures such as cages. Further, Shri Mehra added that cage systems efficiently utilise the water bodies by harnessing their natural productivity and are economically, socially and ecologically viable. Department of Fisheries, GOI earmarked the investment atrgets for promoting cage aquaculture under flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

During the technical session, Dr. B. K. Das, Director, ICAR- Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) made a comprehensive presentation on “Cage aquaculture in Reservoir: Sleeping Giants” and briefed about various technologies, opportunities and activities developed by ICAR-CIFRI for diversification of cage aquaculture in various parts of the country along with various skill and capacity development programmes for the farmers and stakeholders. Dr. Das emphasised on the need for promotion of cage aquaculture in reservoirs of the country by following good management practices and providing support services and CIFRI is ready to associate in tandem with the States and Uts for knowledge support on technological back drop for various perspectives of enclosed pisciculture.

After the presentation, an open discussion session was held with the fish farmers, entrepreneurs, hatchery owners, students, scientists and faculty of the universities. After discussion, the webinar concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Dr. S. K. Dwivedi, Assistant Commissioner, DoF.

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Common Technology Development and Services Infrastructure

 Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has notified the Scheme on Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector- Phase-II for providing assistance to Common Technology Development and Services Infrastructure. The scheme has a financial outlay of Rs. 1207 crores with Budgetary support of Rs.975 crore and Industry Contribution of Rs.232 crore . The scheme was notified on 25th January, 2022.

The objective of Phase II of the Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness of the Capital Goods Sector is to expand and enlarge the impact created by Phase I pilot scheme, thereby providing greater impetus through creation of a strong and globally competitive capital goods sector that contributes at least 25% to the manufacturing sector.

 

There are six components under the Scheme for Enhancement of Capital Goods Sector Phase II, namely:

 

(i) Identification of Technologies through Technology Innovation Portals;

 

(ii) Setting up of four New Advanced Centres of Excellence and augmentation of Existing Centres of Excellence;

 

(iii) Promotion of skilling in Capital Goods Sector–creation of Qualification packages for skill levels 6 and above;

 

(iv) Setting up of four Common Engineering Facility Centres (CEFCs) and augmentation of existing CEFCs;

 

(v) Augmentation of Existing Testing and Certification Centres;

 

(vi) Setting up of ten Industry Accelerators for Technology Development

 

The detailed scheme guidelines along with the application forms are available at: https://heavyindustries.gov.in/writereaddata/UploadFile/Notification%20for%20Capital%20Goods%20%20Phase%20II%20.pdf

 

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Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation

 Present in this special event are Durga Jasraj ji, Shaarangdev Pandit ji, Neeraj Jaitly ji, co-founder of Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation, all the musicians and artists of the country and the world, ladies and gentlemen!

Music, ‘sura’ and ‘svara’ are considered immortal in our country. It is said that the energy of ‘svara’, as well as its effect, is also immortal. Therefore, the eminent soul, who has lived music throughout his life and that has been echoing in every particle of his existence, remains immortal in the energy and consciousness of the Universe even after leaving the body.

The performances by musicians and artists in this program and the way Pandit Jasraj ji’s ‘sura’ is echoing here gives an impression that Pandit Jasraj ji is present with us in this consciousness of music.

I am glad that all of you are carrying forward his classical legacy and preserving it for generations and centuries to come. Today is also the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of Pandit Jasraj ji. Today, I congratulate all of you on this innovative initiative of establishing Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation. I especially extend my best wishes to Durga Jasraj ji and Pandit Shaarangdev ji for taking upon the responsibility to dedicate your father’s inspiration, his penance, to the entire world. I too have had the privilege of meeting and listening to Pandit Jasraj ji many times.

Friends,

Music is a very complex subject. I am not very well-versed with it, but the comprehensive knowledge that our sages have given about ‘svara’ and ‘naada” is amazing in itself. It is written in our Sanskrit texts –

नाद रूपः स्मृतो ब्रह्मा, नाद रूपो जनार्दनः।

नाद रूपः पारा शक्तिः, नाद रूपो महेश्वरः॥

That is, the forces that give birth to the Universe and maintain and govern it are the forms of sound. This ability to feel the cosmic energy and ability to see music in the flow of the universe is what makes Indian classical music tradition so exceptional. Music is a medium that also makes us aware of our worldly duties and it also helps us transcend worldly attachments. What is so special about music is that it resonates till infinity even though you can’t touch it.

I am told that the primary objective of the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation will be to protect, develop and promote India’s national heritage, art and culture. I am glad to know that this foundation will support the budding artists and will also try to make them financially capable. You are also considering promoting education and research in the field of music through this foundation. I believe that this initiative and the roadmap that you have formulated for a great personality like Pandit Jasraj ji is a big tribute in itself. And I would also say that now is the time for his disciples to give ‘Gurudakshina’.

Friends,

Today we are meeting at a time when technology has penetrated a lot in the world of music. I urge this cultural foundation to focus on two things. We hear about globalization quite often, but it is largely centered around the economy. It is our responsibility that Indian music should also make its global identity and create its impact globally in today’s era of globalization.

Indian music has the power to stir the depths of the human mind. Simultaneously, it also emphasizes the experience of the oneness of nature and the divine. Similarly with International Yoga Day! Yoga has emerged as a kind of spontaneous existence all over the world. It has been observed that the entire human race, the entire world has benefited from this heritage of India. Every human being in the world deserves to know, understand, learn and benefit from Indian music. It is our duty to fulfill this sacred exercise.

My second suggestion is that when the impact of technology is in every sphere of life then there should be a revolution of technology and IT in the field of music too. There should be start-ups in India that are completely dedicated to music, musical instruments and musical traditions. A lot needs to be done on how to equip the sacred streams of Indian music, such as the Ganges, with modern technology. While the ‘Guru-shishya’ tradition should remain intact, there should be attempts to become a global power and there should be value addition through technology.

Friends,

At the core of the knowledge and philosophy of India, our thoughts, ethics, culture and music is the spirit of service to humanity which fuels consciousness in all of us for centuries. The desire for the welfare of the entire world is clearly manifested in it. Therefore, the more we promote India and its traditions and identity, the more opportunities we will create to serve humanity. This is the intention and mantra of India today.

Today we are reviving our art and culture centers like Kashi. Our faith in environmental protection and love for nature is showing the world the way to a secure future. ‘Sabka Prayas’ (effort of all) should be involved in this journey which India has embarked on the mantra of heritage along with development.

I am sure the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation will attain new heights of success with the active contribution of all of you. This foundation will become an important medium for service towards music and ‘sadhana’ and for the fulfillment of our resolutions towards the country.

With this belief, thank you very much and many best wishes for this new endeavour!

Thanks!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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Green initiatives undertaken for the development of Green Ports & Green Shipping in India

 Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbanand Sonowal chaired a meeting with all major ports, Cochin shipyard Limited (CSL) and IWAI (Inland waterways Authority of India) to review the progress on various green initiatives being implemented, as per Maritime India Vision(MIV) 2030, for the development of Green Ports & Green Shipping in India. 

Shri Sonowal reviewed the progress of initiatives undertaken for development of green ports planned under Maritime India Vision 2030. As part of MIV 2030, Total of 963 initiatives have been identified for implementation across major ports with an estimated investment of Rs. 6,77,720.24 crores, of which a total of 208 initiatives with estimated investment of Rs. 44,424.47 crores have been completed in FY 2021. Further 504 initiatives with estimated investment of Rs. 48,256.14 crores are under implementation.

A number of initiatives have been taken in India to promote green ecosystem in maritime sector. These are in line with International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s 2030 Decarbonization strategy and 2050 Green House Gases (GHG) strategy. Initiatives are being implemented by Major Ports of India that include areas, such as increase share of renewable energy to more than 60% across major ports by 2030, setting up of solar power plants, availing of shore power supply to vessels via berths, multi-clean fuel adoption for vehicles within port ecosystem, gradual phasing out of diesel locomotives at ports, etc.

The green port initiatives include acquisition of equipments for monitoring environmental pollution, acquisition of dust suppression systems, setting up of sewage/ waste water treatment plants, setting up of garbage disposal system for ports and ships, developing shore reception facility for wastes from ships, setting up projects for energy generation from renewable energy sources, providing shore power to ships at berths, creating Oil Spill Response (Tier-1) capabilities at all ports, taking actions to improve harbour water quality, inclusion of sustainable practices in terminal design, development and operation, increasing green cover within port premises etc.

 

Ministry is also working on draft of a “Green Port Policy” document to suggest framework and guidelines for incorporation of green initiatives in the port sector. The Policy document captures the focused areas, measured outcomes, implementation roadmap and cost recovery mechanism for the port operators and port authorities. The proposed target outcomes will help India in achieving the “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) target, as well as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2030 target.

In order to enhance the share of Green Shipping, various projects are being implemented by Cochin Shipyard Ltd., India’s largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility. These include green urban mobility solutions like Hybrid Electric Ferries, autonomous Zero-emission vessels, pilot project on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ferry, Electric Catamaran Water Taxi, Hybrid Electric Ro-Ro, Hybrid LNG-Electric Inland Cargo Carrier, Hybrid Tugs, etc.

Possibilities are also being explored for deployment of fully electric ferry and hydrogen fuelled ferries on Inland Waterways for enhancement of river cruise tourism in the country. For instance, Electric Catamaran Water Taxi deployment is being considered at Varanasi and Guwahati in first phase. Additionally, use of Hybrid Electric Roll on -Roll off (Ro-Ro) vessels having dual fuel system (LNG+ battery) is being considered at Guwahati for river crossings. Use of Hybrid LNG-electric Inland Cargo Carrier vessels is also being considered on NW2 and NW1 . Possibility of deploying CNG vessels at Varanasi is also being explored.

The pace at which the Green initiatives are undertaken by the 12 major ports will surely bring a green revolution in the sector making the ports cleaner and greener, which is also a key component of ‘Blue Economy’, creating environmental benefits and balancing the investments and cash flow.

In his concluding Remarks, Shri Sonowal thanked all officials for their crucial contribution towards realization of Prime Minister’s Vision for Indian Maritime Sector. He further directed all Ports to take the Green Initiatives forward by putting dedicated proactive efforts towards greening of maritime sector including finalization of green port policy.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Medicine are critical to future healthcare

 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Medicine are critical to future healthcare.

During a visit to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu for the inspection of the upcoming new blocks and inauguration of recently developed facilities, Dr Jitendra Singh suggested that in order to develop an exclusive identity for the institution, the focus should be on these futuristic areas. Tele-Medicine and Robotic Surgery have already taken over in a big way and the indispensable utility of these new options was realised during the pandemic times, he added.

Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the OPD services will start immediately in AIIMS, Jammu and the first batch will move and operate from the premises from 1st of June this year and the second batch will continue thereafter. The Minister said that 30 member faculty has already been inducted and the entire six storey AIIMS building will be ready by early next year.

The Minister announced that AIIMS Jammu will function in close collaboration with CSIR-IIIM Jammu. A MoU was signed in the presence of the Minister, between Director AIIMS Jammu Dr Shakti Gupta and Director CSIR-IIIM Jammu Dr. D. Srinivasa Reddy, on behalf of the two institutions.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Jitendra Singh said, it is an irony that CSIR-IIIM Jammu and Government Medical College Jammu existed in the close vicinity of just about 4 kilometres from each other and even though both the institutions were dedicated to medical research, there was hardly any collaboration between the two in the past. He said, every effort would be made to bring in closer integration of IIIM with GMC and also between IIIM Jammu and AIIMS Jammu, both of which happen to be the Central Government institutions.

Dr Jitendra Singh noted that IIIM Jammu is one of the oldest CSIR laboratories in the country and even today it is conducting pioneering research in Cannabis Medicinal Products and host of other drugs, which makes the institute a natural ally of the AIIMS which has also the mandate of research and medical education.

While appreciating the progress made during the brief period since Dr Shakti Gupta took over as the Director of AIIMS, Dr Jitendra Singh suggested that in order to develop an exclusive identity for the institution, the focus should be on futuristic areas like Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AIIMS could be a pioneer in North India in developing AI based healthcare infrastructure.

The Minister said it is because of the personal indulgence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Jammu has, in the recent years, developed major centrally funded academic institutions in close vicinity of each other, thus making it an important educational hub in the region. He called for greater integration at different levels that is among the science institutions, then between scientific institutions and non-scientific institutions and finally among all these education institutions put together and the industry and Start-Ups for sustainable growth, development and livelihood.

Dr Jitendra Singh hoped that with the constitutional barriers of the past having been done away with in case of Jammu & Kashmir, the administration and the management will make all efforts to attract the best of the faculty from different parts of the country.

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Fire Alarm system and Fire protection system in Passenger Compartment in buses

 The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, vide notification dated 27th January 2022, has introduced the Fire Alarm System and Fire Protection System in the Passenger (or, Occupant) Compartment in buses through an amendment in the AIS (Automotive Industry Standard)-135 for Type III buses [‘Type III’ Vehicles are those designed and constructed for long distance passenger transport, for seated passengers ] and School Buses.

At present, fire detection, alarm and suppression systems are notified for fires originating from the engine compartment, as per AIS-135. Studies on fire incidents indicate that injuries to passengers are mainly due to heat and smoke in the passenger compartment. These injuries can be prevented if the heat and smoke in the passenger compartment is controlled by providing an additional evacuation time to  occupants by thermal management during fire incidents.

A water mist- based active fire protection system and  a standalone fire alarm system for buses has been designed to manage the temperature in the passenger compartment within 50 degrees centigrade.

This amendment to the Standard has been undertaken in consultation with  stakeholders and experts from the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), a DRDO establishment, working in the area of fire risk assessment, fire suppression technologies, modelling and simulation etc.

Click here to see GSR Fire Alarm System

IREDA and Goa Shipyard Ltd signs MoU for Rooftop Solar Power Projects

 


Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to provide its techno-financial expertise to set-up a rooftop solar power project. The two companies are PSUs under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Defence, respectively.

The MoU was signed by Shri Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), IREDA and Cmde. Bharat Bhushan Nagpal, CMD, GSL in the presence of senior officials.

Under the MoU, IREDA will assist GSL to set-up a rooftop solar power project at the headquarter of the company situated in Vasco da Gama, Goa. IREDA will also extend its techno-commercial expertise to GSL for Environmental & Social (E&S) due diligence of rooftop solar and other RE projects as per the internationally accepted E&S standards. After setting up a rooftop solar power project at its building, GSL will be able to bring down the expenditure on electricity and reduce its carbon footprint as well.

Speaking on the collaboration, Shri Pradip Kumar Das, CMD, IREDA said, “We are pleased to partner with GSL in their pursuit towards adoption of a clean energy solution. The partnership is expected to bring in good practices by leveraging the expertise of both the companies and to push the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister for sustainable development of the country through Green Energy. The Govt. of India aims to produce 40 GW of solar power through rooftop solar by the end of 2022, and these collaborations will enable us to contribute to meeting the targets set by the Govt. of India.

In order to cater to the increasing demand of the RE sector, a dedicated Business Development and Consultancy division was set up by IREDA one and a half years ago. Under the new division, this is the seventh MoU signed by IREDA within the last 14 months to provide its consultancy services for developers of RE and Energy transition. Earlier, IREDA had entered into MoUs with SJVN, NHPC, TANGEDCO, NEEPCO, BVFCL, and THDCIL to extend its Techno-Financial expertise for Green Energy projects.

IREDA is looking forward to extending its consulting services to other PSUs and private organisations for the overall growth of the RE sector.

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2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting

 The 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting with India held yesterday on a virtual platform. H.E. Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications (MoSC) and H.E. Admiral Tin Aung San, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Myanmar co-chaired the meeting.

 

The ADGMIN is an annual meeting of Telecom Ministers of 10 ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries -Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam and dialogue partner countries – Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, UK and US. The meeting discussed and deliberated various matters relevant to strengthening regional digital cooperation in the spirit of digital inclusion and integration.

Addressing the august gathering of Digital Ministers, Shri Devusinh Chauhan emphasized that Information and Communication Technologies enable and strengthen democratic systems and institutions through enhanced engagement between citizens and the state. He added that use of ICTs promote free speech, human rights and the free flow of information besides expanding citizens’ opportunities to participate in decision-making process and have potential to transform lives of people living in rural areas.

The Minister recalled vision of our Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to leverage different technological solutions for development of the nation. In his address, Shri Devusinh Chauhan stated that COVID-19 is not only a challenge for the public health system, but it is also, shaking the economic and social orders of the countries. In this scenario, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) have emerged as powerful tools to mitigate the effects of pandemic in different spheres of public life and they are foundations of the global economy.

The Ministers meeting approved the India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022. The workplan includes system for combating the use of stolen and counterfeit mobile handsets, WiFi Access network interface for nationwide public internet, the capacity building and knowledge sharing in emerging areas in the field of Information and Communication Technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, Advanced Satellite Communication, Cyber Forensics, etc. The ongoing and proposed projects in ICTs, will strengthen collaboration between India and ASEAN by leveraging complementary strengths of each other.

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Implementation of New Education Policy

 A number of action points/activities for implementation in school education as well as higher education are mentioned in the National Education Policy 2020 which inter-alia include following:-

  1. Ensuring Universal Access at All Levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12;
  2. Ensuring quality early childhood care and education for all children between 3-6 years;
  3. Introducing New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (5+3+3+4);
  4. Ensuring no hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams;
  5. Establishing National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy;
  6. Emphasis on promoting multilingualism and Indian languages; The medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language.
  7. Assessment reforms – Introducing Board Exams on up to two occasions during any given school year, one main examination and one for improvement, if desired;
  8. Setting up of a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development);
  9. Equitable and inclusive education – Ensuring special emphasis to be given on Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups(SEDGs);
  10. Establishing a separate Gender Inclusion fund and Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups;
  11. Robust and transparent processes for recruitment of teachers and merit based performance;
  12. Ensuring availability of all resources through school complexes and clusters;
  13. Setting up of State School Standards Authority (SSSA);
  14. Providing Exposure of vocational education  in school and higher education system;
  15. Increasing GER in higher education to 50%;
  16. Introducing Holistic Multidisciplinary Education with multiple entry/exit options;
  17. Introducing Common Entrance Exam for Admission to HEIs to be offered by NTA;
  18. Establishment of Academic Bank of Credit;
  19. Setting up of Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities(MERUs);
  20. Setting up of National Research Foundation(NRF);
  21. Framing ‘Light but Tight’ regulation;
  22. Setting up of single overarching umbrella body for promotion of higher education sector including teacher education and excluding medical and legal education- the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)-with independent bodies for standard setting- the General Education Council; funding-Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC); accreditation- National Accreditation Council (NAC); and regulation- National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC);
  23. Expansion of open and distance learning to increase GER.
  24. Internationalization of Education.
  25. Professional Education will be an integral part of the higher education system. Stand-alone technical universities, health science universities, legal and agricultural universities, or institutions in these or other fields, will aim to become multi-disciplinary institutions.
  26. Teacher Education – Introduction of 4-year integrated stage-specific, subject- specific Bachelor of Education.
  27. Establishing a National Mission for Mentoring.
  28.  Creation of an autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration. Appropriate integration of technology into all levels of education.
  29. Achieving 100% youth and adult literacy.
  30. Introducing multiple mechanisms with checks and balances to combat and stop the commercialization of higher education.
  31. All education institutions will be held to similar standards of audit and disclosure as a ‘not for profit’ entity.
  32. The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
  33.  Strengthening of the Central Advisory Board of Education to ensure coordination to bring overall focus on quality education.
  34.  Ministry of Education: In order to bring the focus back on education and learning, it may be desirable to re-designate MHRD as the Ministry of Education (MoE).

A detailed consultation process with various stakeholders including educationists have been held before and after announcement of National Education Policy 2020. Suggestions have been invited from States / UTs Government and also from other stakeholders through MyGov platform. Department of School Education & Literacy has constituted subject-wise/theme-wise implementation committees of experts for implementation of National Education Policy 2020. Similarly, UGC and AICTE have also constituted Expert Groups on various themes of higher education sector for formulation of Implementation Plan of National Education Policy.

As per National Education Policy 2020, implementation of the Policy requires multiple initiatives and actions, which will have to be taken by multiple bodies in a synchronized and systematic manner. Therefore, the implementation of this Policy will be led by various bodies including Ministry of Education, CABE, Union and State Governments, education-related Ministries, State Departments of Education, Boards, NTA, the regulatory bodies of school and higher education, NCERT, SCERTs, schools, and HEIs. Since Education is in the concurrent list of Constitution of India, hence, State/UT Government will play a vital role in the implementation of the National Education Policy. Ministry of Education has communicated to all States/UT Governments for taking steps for implementation of NEP 2020. In this direction, Ministry of Education had organised ‘Shikshak Parv’ from 8th September to 25th September, 2020 to deliberate on various themes and implementation of NEP 2020 aimed at eliciting suggestions. Ministry had also organised a Conference of Governors on “Role of National Education Policy in Transforming Higher Education”. In the conference, Governors and Lt. Governors of State and Union Territories, Education Minister of State and UTs, Vice Chancellors of State Universities and other dignitaries participated. Majority of states have taken steps toward implementation of NEP 2020. Further, Ministry and other implementing agencies under its purview have started taking initiatives towards implementation of NEP 2020.

Webinar on ‘International Mother Language Day’

 Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today inaugurated the Webinar on the occasion of ‘International Mother Language Day’. The Webinar on ‘Fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society’ is being organised jointly by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and IGNCA. The Vice President also inaugurated the International Virtual Calligraphy Exhibition. Union Minister for Education, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’’; Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture Shri Prahlad Singh Patel; Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre and Member Secretary, IGNCA, Dr. Sachidanand Joshi were also present through the virtual medium.  All the speakers spoke in length about the importance of the Mother tongue and the need for its preservation which will be a treasure for our future generations.

The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today called for making mother tongue the primary medium of instruction, at least until Grade 5. He suggested that educating a child in a language that is not spoken at home can be a big impediment to learning especially at the primary stage. Referring to multiple studies, Shri Naidu said that teaching through the mother tongue in the initial stages of education can boost a child’s self-esteem and enhance his or her creativity. Calling the New Education Policy a visionary and progressive document, he urged for implementing the Policy in letter and spirit.

Speaking at the inaugural session, the Vice President focused on five key sectors to promote the use of mother tongue. Apart from emphasizing the use of mother tongue in primary education, the other highlighted areas are the use of local languages in administration, court proceedings and to deliver judgments in them. He also wanted gradual increase in the use of indigenous languages in higher and technical education. The final emphasis was on everyone to proudly and preferably use their mother tongue in their homes.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu said that with hundreds of languages coexisting, linguistic diversity is one of the cornerstones of our ancient civilization. Observing how our mother tongues can evoke an emotional response in the people, Shri Naidu called them an ‘important link to our socio-cultural identity’, ‘a repository of our collective knowledge and wisdom’ and thus needs to be protected, preserved and promoted.

On this occasion, Shri Naidu appreciated various government initiatives for a multilingual society such as the National Translation Mission, the Bharatavani project and the proposed setting up of a Bharatiya Bhasha Vishwavidyalaya (BBV) and Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITT).

In conclusion, the Vice President reiterated that languages are nourished only by constant use and that every day must be a Matribhasha Diwas. He called for all-round commitment and efforts to reclaim mother tongues and to ‘feel proud to speak freely and confidently in one’s mother tongue’ in homes, community, meetings and administration.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Pokhriyal said that the importance of language lies not only in national unity but also in strengthening the culture of the country. Research has proved that 90% of a child’s brain develops by the age of 6 and for the holistic development of our children, it is necessary that the knowledge is acquired in the mother tongue, he added.

Shri Pokhriyal highlighted that National Education Policy- 2021 has given maximum attention to the development of mother tongues. The Government has emphasized on promoting multilingualism with our policy so that our children can get acquainted with the vast wealth of languages ​​of our country. He further said that it is the first education policy that empowers students with the subject and language of their choice. The policy recommends that as far as possible, the medium of instruction shall be, at least till class 5, (preferably up to grade 8 and beyond) mother tongue / vernacular / regional language. Shri Pokhriyal said that this education policy calls for many new initiatives that will help in building a truly multilingual society in India.

Shri Prahlad Patel said every mother tongue has a world of its own, has its own character, has its own expressions. While we have to learn other languages, the mother tongue on the other hand develops in us naturally. Everyone feels a sense of attachment and affinity while speaking their mother tongue. The way in which culture influences the development of our personality, in the similar manner one’s mother tongue also strengthens one’s personality.

Addressing the participants Shri Dhotre said that consequent to the declaration of 21st February as the International Mother Language Day, (Matribhasha Diwas) UNESCO in 1999, this day is being celebrated every year since 2015 in a grand manner by involving all the higher educational institutions/schools across the country to organize various activities like Debating, Singing, Essay Writing and Painting competitions, Music and Dramatic performances, Exhibitions etc. Shri Dhotre highlighted that the purpose of the celebrations is to promote the preservation and protection of all languages spoken by the people globally and also to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism of the languages. He further said that the Government has adopted a proactive approach to promote all Indian languages and strengthen the mother tongue in the Indian education system.

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IIT Kharagpur Wins the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 6.0

 A team of four undergraduate students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur emerged as winners at the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 6.0, sponsored by Cushman and Wakefield, KI and IA: Interior Architects. The team comprised of Siddhant Samarth (Third Year Undergraduate, Department of Civil Engineering), Pratim Majumdar (Third Year Undergraduate, Department of Chemical Engineering), Rishita Raj (Second Year Undergraduate, Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Utkarsh Agrawal (Third Year Undergraduate, Department of Manufacturing Science and Engineering), and were guided by Prof. Jenia Mukherjee (Department of Humanities and Social Sciences). The team from IIT Kharagpur was one of the four teams to progress into the final round out of 1300 teams all over the world and were pitted against the University of Washington, New York University and the University of Denver in the final round hosted online on 18th March 2021. This is the first time that a squad from India has emerged as winners in the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge since the inception of the competition in 2015.

 

 

CoreNet Global is a non-profit association, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (US), representing more than 11,000 executives in 50 countries with strategic responsibility for the real estate assets of large corporations. The organization’s mission is to advance the practice of corporate real estate through professional development opportunities, publications, research, conferences, designations and networking in 46 local chapters and networking groups globally. CoreNet Global’s mission is to advance the practice of corporate real estate through professional development opportunities, publications, research, conferences, and chapters and networking groups. CoreNet Global aims to broaden its network, raise the profile of corporate real estate, serve as the profession’s voice and thought leader and champion the profession’s development and maturity. Every year, Corenet Global invites students from around the world to think creatively about a problem facing real estate professionals for renowned companies like Google, Duke Energy, AstraZeneca, Whirlpool, and many others, institutions from all over the globe will compete to address challenges like creating an employee experience that attracts millennials while retaining all other generations of employees; or reducing the gap between the speed of business and the typical speed of real estate.

 

The team from IIT Kharagpur worked on a hypothetical case on developing an environmentally resilient Corporate Real Estate Portfolio while gauging the impact of the pandemic, for Blue Banc, a fictitious financial institution based in London, England.

 

“This was uncharted territory but appeared to be a really insightful field to all of us. Right from the start, we were careful to maintain an innovative approach and establish a wide paradigm of solutions in order to accommodate each and every aspect necessary for constructing a green real estate portfolio. We first developed a benchmarking mechanism, then went on to create an internal Carbon market for ensuring scrupulous investments, and then resorted to Real Options analysis to develop strategic timeframes, and then went on to address the issue of determining an ideal location for establishing a new branch using scoring methodologies, Haversine distancing and qualitative force analysis. Our solution culminated with the idea of introducing various innovative financial products and moulding our ideas according to the impact of the pandemic. Our Faculty Advisor, Prof. Jenia Mukherjee constantly bolstered us through the entire endeavour not only through her extremely encouraging words but also by throwing light on the social implications of each of our ideas, and minutely going through each ingredient of our solution and commenting on the loopholes. Your performance, of course, is automatically maximized if you have the support of such an outstanding professor”, the ecstatic team of Siddhant, Pratim, Rishita and Utkarsh mentioned right after they were announced as the winners of this esteemed competition.

 

Prof. Jenia Mukherjee from the department of Humanities and Social Sciences was elated after the win and said, “Right after the team shared the prospective ideas with me, I was quite confident that this squad had the potential to present something ingenious, and they just needed out to smoothen out the edges and counter the loopholes, since each and every aspect in itself was so innovational and widely applicable. Kudos to Siddhant for creating the Green Scoring model from scratch, to Pratim for setting up the internal Carbon market and creating a tactical timeline using Binomial Real Options, to Rishita for developing and working on the method of Haversine Distancing, Location scoring and force analysis and to Utkarsh for gauging each aspect through the lens of the COVID-19 Crisis and suggesting a plan of action accordingly. I am definitely sure that these pioneering ideas in themselves can be developed into full-fledged implementable models through further research, and it will not be long when one day, these hypothetical solutions are at last witnessed in action in the corporate ambit.”

 

The team would be awarded $5000, complimentary student membership in CoreNet Global (retail value: $25) and a copy of The Essential Guide to Corporate Real Estate (retail value: $49.99).

Prof. Mukherjee, Pratim, Siddhant, Rishita and Utkarsh have been personally congratulated by the Regional Experience Director, CoreNet Global (Mumbai) India. They have been asked to share the presentation to the members of the India Chapter in a webinar next month.

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Convocation Ceremony of Visva-Bharati University

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Convocation Ceremony of Visva-Bharati University today through a video conference. Governor of West Bengal and Rector of Visva-Bharati, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and MoS for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre were also present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister while addressing the convocation quoted the poem of Gurudev Ravindra Nath Tagore on Veer Shivaji which inspired him and called for unity of India. PM stressed that the students and the faculty were not just a part of a university, but also bearers of a vibrant tradition. He said Gurudev named the University as Visva Bharati meaning Global University since he expected that anyone who comes to learn in Visva Bharati will see the whole world from the point of view of India and Indianness. So he made Visva Bharati such a place to learn, which can be seen in the rich heritage of India. He gave a call for assimilating and researching about the Indian heritage and working towards solving the problems of the poorest of the poor. He said Visva Bharati for Gurudev Tagore was not just a knowledge imparting institution but an attempt to reach the topmost goal of Indian culture, which is to achieve oneself.

The Prime Minister said Gurudev believed that we have to discover ourselves among the varied Ideologies and differences. PM said that Tagore used to be proud of Bengal but at the same time, he was equally proud of India’s diversity. And it was due to Gurudev’s vision that humanity thrives under the open sky of Santiniketan. He praised Visva Bharati as an unending sea of ​​knowledge in itself, the foundation of which was laid for experience-based education. He said there is no limit to creativity and knowledge. It was with this thought that Gurudev founded this great university. PM urged the students to always remember that knowledge, thought and skill are not static but a dynamic and continuous process. He said responsibility comes with knowledge and power. Just as one has to be restrained and sensitive while in power, every scholar also has to be responsible towards those who do not have knowledge.

Recalling the historical strength of the traditional Indian education system, the Prime Minister referred to Gandhian Shri Dharampal’s book ‘The Beautiful Tree- Indigenous Indian Education in the Eighteenth Century’. He said that the 1820 survey had said that there was more than one gurukul in every village which were linked with the local temples and literacy rate was estimated to be very high. This was recognized by the British scholars also. Shri Modi said, Gurudev Ravindranath developed systems in Visva Bharti which were the medium of modernising Indian education and freeing it from the shackles of slavery.

Similarly, the new National Education Policy also breaks old restrictions and allows students to realize their full potential. It allows flexibility in selection of subjects and medium of instruction. The policy promotes entrepreneurship and self employment; research and innovation. ‘This education policy is a major milestone in the making of an Aatmnirbhar Bharat’, said the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister informed that scholars have recently been given free access to lakhs of journals by the Government. This year’s budget has proposed 50 thousand crore in 5 years for research through the National Research Foundation. This Education Policy has made provision for the Gender Inclusion Fund that will give the girls new confidence. Higher dropout rate of girls was deeply studied and arrangements were made for entry-exit options and yearly credit in the degree courses.

Calling Bengal inspiration for Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat, the Prime Minister said that Visva Bharati will play a big role in the 21st century knowledge economy, taking Indian knowledge and identity to every corner of the world. Shri Modi called upon the students of the prestigious institute to prepare a vision document for next 25 years about the 25 biggest goals of Visva Bharati in 2047. The Prime Minister asked the students to spread awareness about India. Visva Bharati should lead all educational institutions to carry India’s message and enhance India’s image globally. The Prime Minister concluded by calling upon the students to find ways to make nearby villages Aatmnirbhar and taking their products globally.

Union Education Minister appreciated the academic activities that Visva-Bharati has undertaken during the COVIND 19 pandemic. The Minister dwelled in detail on the New Education Policy which, he also mentioned, is based on Gurudev’s idea of Education. He also suggested that Visva-Bharati is capable of taking lead in imparting learning as per the directions that the NEP has provided. In order to accomplish the goal, Shri Pokhriyal insisted on creating an effective task force by bringing together academic faculties from various fields. Speaking on the decision to create a new Visva-Bharati campus at Ramgarh, Uttarakhand, he informed that steps in this direction have already been taken.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Dhotre congratulated the passing out students and extended his best wishes for the future endeavours. On New Education Policy, he said it has adopted a multidisciplinary approach, emphasises on early childhood care and education and imparting learning in the local language, vocational education and focus on research and innovation.  Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, this policy will make India the global knowledge superpower of 21st century.  

The Rector and Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed his happiness by being part of this convocation at Amrakunja which has footsteps of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. He admired the strong leadership that the Prime Minister has been providing to come out the crisis that has emerged due to the pandemic. In his address, he also appreciated the role of the Union Education Minister and his colleagues in bringing out a New Education Policy for the country.

 

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