TMB Report
Imphal: Union Minister of State for Education & External Affairs Dr RK Ranjan stated that the vision to see India on the pedestal of being the hub of higher learning in the world could be reinforced by various ways and means, be it policies, which the government is trying to implement through the New Education Policy 2020 or equipping institutions with better facilities or providing them with better training, infrastructure, or creating world-class institutions across the country.
He was speaking at the launching ceremony of Yuva Sangam portal at Azad Bhavan auditorium of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi on Monday.
Dr RK Ranjan stated that students who will be passing out from IITs and other premier institutions are our wealth, especially those students who come from foreign countries and aspire to excel in various fields.
He stated that India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and it used to be a global centre for higher learning. It today has plans, to evolve into one.
Education has always been, and remains one today, an important part of the Indian society. Our educational system of the Vedic Age, the Gurukul and Ashrams, were unique and sought after. They were centers of fundamental learning. Many from far and wide, came to study India, its society and philosophy, in these institutions, he added.
He maintained that these institutions helped foreign scholars study and appreciate India, in its glory and these foreign scholars also helped us understand how we were perceived.
The Union Minister recalled that knowledge of ancient and medieval India can be traced back to the accounts of foreigners, who came to India as pilgrims, travelers, traders, and also scholars.
They crossed oceans and difficult land routes to reach India, to study India, its society, economy and philosophy. Their efforts helped us understanding each other, better and more accurately. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is keeping this tradition alive. With around 3500 scholarships every year since 1990, ICCR has been successful in establishing these living linkages, he stated.
He conveyed that ICCR has taken many initiatives, including digitizing the scholarship by launching of A2A Portal in 2017 and now the Gyan Setu mobile application, to further offer convenience to the students.
Automation of the entire scholarship process, will definitely contribute to greater convenience not only for the students, but also administrators, he added.
He elaborated that the application will act as a catalyst in automation of scholarship process and will make life easier for all the stakeholders including students, universities/institutes, Indian Embassies abroad and ICCR.
Attending the ceremony, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that the launching of Gyan Setu application is yet another initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for cementing the bond between the Northast and rest of India.
He stated that in line with the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’, Yuva Sangam will strengthen people-to-people bonds, mainstream the vibrant culture of our North-eastern States and bring immense exposure and opportunities for knowledge exchanges, especially for the youth in the Northeast.
Yuva Sangam will celebrate India’s diversity, rejuvenate the spirit of oneness and highlight the strength of India’s democracy as envisioned by PM Narendra Modi. A unique initiative, Yuva Sangam will further strengthen the ‘Spirit of India’ in Amrit Kaal, the Union Minister added.
Union Minister for Law & Justice Kiren Rijiju; Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and DONER G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and I&B Anurag Singh Thakur; Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar and Members of Parliament from the Northeastern States also attended the event.
