Ground Reality

   A brain storming meet with focus on Higher Education’s quality, relevance and Development in North East regions was held in Imphal recently and many issues impacting the education set up there were highlighted while the association of Indian Universities (AIU) laid stress on maintenance of peace and harmony in corridors of universities to pave way for healthy environs for higher education. AIU President Prof PB Sharma in his Presidential address at the meet minced no words to articulate his views on higher education scenario and said the agenda for higher education has to be focus on relevance driven Excellence and a Strong connect to Society and industry. “Integration of human values with education need be given a renewed emphasis in the campuses of our universities as we cannot afford to pay a heavy price of loss of human values in an enlightened and specialized work force in a country like ours where loss of values has created unprecedented rise of lust,...

The day after Diwali this year, when Delhi once again hit 999 microgram per cubic meter on air quality index (AQI) for its PM 2.5 , there was a  great concern voiced by press and media but, as always, no emergent measures, public advisory or immediate actions were  rolled out to mitigate the disastrous  levels of air pollution in the world's largest democracy, India, in its national capital Delhi and the NCR Region. Life and business as usual continued.  Recent Lancet study, published in local and world leading news papers, reported that as many as 9 million or more people each year are dying in the world due to pollution. In India alone this figure could be over 2.5 million (25 lacs) deaths per year, the study reveals. But did it set out a panic or creates a sense of urgency in the minds of those in government and in the corporate and citizens at large. The answer is no. Last year also when AQI touched 999 in Delhi, eye brows were raised but no...