Convocation Address Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University

University Profile: For Chhatisgarh

I am indeed delighted to participate in the 10th Convocation address of Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University. I greet the Vice Chancellor, professors, teachers and staff for their contribution in shaping young minds to contribute to the nation in multiple fields. I take this opportunity to congratulate the University students for their academic performance. The Universities have a major responsibility in nation building through enriching Science, Engineering and Technology and by providing value based education to students to make them moral leaders. I am happy to note that this University has contributed substantially in the development of higher education in the region of Chhattisgarh. I was thinking what thoughts I can share with this enlightened members of this beautiful state. I have selected the topic ?University Profile for Chhattisgarh?.

Vision 2020: Developed India as a Mission

As you are aware we have in our nation 260 million people living below the poverty line. The nation has to lift them up. Today the GDP growth rate is about 6%, it has to be lifted up to 10% and to be sustained for few years then it is possible for India to get developed economically and the billion people will feel the prosperity of the nation. The roadmap involves integrated action on the following five areas:

(1) Agriculture and food processing - we have to place a target of 360 million tons of food and agricultural production. Other areas of agriculture and agro food processing would bring prosperity to rural people and speed up economic growth. (2) Reliable and quality electric power for all parts of the country. (3) Education and healthcare - we have seen, based on experience, education and healthcare are inter related. (4) Information communication technology - this is one of our core competencies. We believe this area can be used to promote education in remote areas and also to create national wealth. (5) Strategic sectors - this area, fortunately, witnessed growth in nuclear technology, space technology and defence technology.

These areas have been converted into missions such as: Networking of Rivers, availability of high quality uninterrupted power, Providing Urban amenities in Rural Area (PURA), Second Green Revolution, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Tourism. These specific integrated missions sector-wise will take the country forward on the path to self-sustaining development. These missions will provide the thrust for the realization of developed India in a time bound manner. They will also provide large scale employment opportunity for the youth through creation of various types of industries and enhancement of the national infrastructure.

Strength of Chattisgarh region

Chattisgarh abounds in forests, hills, mountains and rivers inhabited by hardworking people. With 43% of arable area under cultivation, Chattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of central India. Other major crops are wheat, maize, groundnut, pulse, oil seeds besides fruit crops like mango, guava, pomegranate and banana. One of the richest bio-diversity in the country, it has abundant forest produce of tendu, sal, gum, myrobalan, medicinal plants, bamboo, lac and honey. It is a home of 28 major minerals. It has one of the world?s largest deposits of diamonds and gold, garnet, rock crystal and alexandrite ? one of the rarest gem stones. Chattisgarh is a premier eco-tourism destination with its three national park and eleven wildlife sanctuaries. The famous rock paintings and caves, famous temples and historical monuments are all enchanting. Chattisgarh is also famous for its vibrant and colourful tribal traditions and their music dance and craftsmanship. Natural resources of Chattisgarh should become the wealth generating enterprise of the state through creation of entrepreneurs by the Ravi Shanker Shukla University, through their innovative education system.

Employment Generation through entrepreneurship

There has been substantial growth in the higher educational system and this university is generating over hundred thousands graduates every year. However the employment generation system is not in a position to absorb the graduates passing out from this university leading to increase in educated unemployed, year after year. This situation will lead to instability in the social structure. We need higher education backed by employment opportunities. A multi pronged strategy is needed to make education more attractive and simultaneously create employment potential - how do we do that?

Firstly, the educational system should highlight the importance of entrepreneurship and prepare the students right from the secondary school and college education to get oriented towards setting up of the enterprises which will provide them creativity, freedom and ability to generate wealth. Apart from entrepreneurship, the youth should have the spirit that "we can do it". Secondly, the banking system should provide venture capital right from every village level to the prospective entrepreneurs for undertaking new enterprises. Banks have to be proactive to support the innovative products for enabling wealth generation by young entrepreneurs by setting aside the "conventional tangible asset syndrome". Definitely this involves certain amount of calculated risks which can be eliminated by making an analysis of successful venture capital enterprises. Thirdly, there is a need to identify marketable products and enhancement of purchasing power among the people. This can come through the implementation of mega programmes such as PURA, Interlinking of Rivers, Infrastructural missions, Power missions and Tourism.

This university should become a facilitator for creating this entrepreneurship scheme through the support of the banking system and the marketing system. This is one way of reducing the employment gap leading to upliftment of people living below the poverty line in the state. I would like to discuss the capacities which should be built by the university among the students for enabling them to participate and contribute in the state?s development missions thereby promoting national development.

Value Addition

Chattisgarh is rich in herbs, germ plasm and micro organisms. Industrially developed countries are importing these bio-resources in the raw forms and add value to them for export to developing countries including India as special seeds, medicines and bio-materials, fully protecting patents of these products. Instead of allowing export of such resources and importing value added products at high cost, Chhatisgarh must add its own technology for conversion of such resources to value added products for meeting the domestic needs and export. For promoting the special programmes suggested above, the Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University has to create capacities among the students through a specially designed programme. I would like to discuss the typical capacities and the methodology by which the university can build among the students.

Capacities for nation building

University is the reservoir of the enlightened human resource for the nation. For enabling the youth coming out from the university to participate in the national development vision, it is necessary for the universities to prepare the young to take up the challenging tasks ahead. For realizing the Vision 2020, the capacities required in University education are: the capacity for research and inquiry, the capacity for Creativity and Innovation, particularly the creative transfer of knowledge, the capacity to use high technology, the capacity for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the capacity for Moral Leadership

a. Research and enquiry

21st century is about the management of all the knowledge and information we have generated and give value to it. We must give our youth, the skills with which they find a way through the sea of knowledge that we have created. Today, we have the ability, through technology, to really and truly teach ourselves and to become the life-long learners that any sustained economic and political development requires.

b. Creativity and innovation

We can best teach ourselves by teaching others. The management of knowledge in 21st century is beyond the capacity of individuals. The amount of information that we have is overwhelming and has exceeded the capacity of individuals. We must learn how to manage knowledge collectively. In other words we must not only teach ourselves, but teach others.

c. Capacity to use of high technology

Every student in our universities should graduate to know how to use the latest technologies for aiding their learning process. Universities should equip themselves with adequate computing equipment, laboratory equipments, Internet facilities and provide an environment for the students to enhance their learning ability.

d. Moral leadership

Moral leadership involves two aspects. First, it requires the ability to have compelling and powerful dreams or visions of human betterment. A state of things in which human beings could be better off in the future than they are now. Secondly, moral leadership requires a disposition to do the right thing and influence others also to do the right thing.

Networking of universities

University education is the foundation for the growth of the state. It is essential that the universities are evolved after careful planning in consultation with UGC and AICTE (in case of Engineering education). A number of nationally and internationally known knowledge centres have started becoming interested in the Chattisgarh region. This opportunity can be made use of by Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University for networking them to facilitate knowledge sharing and application in Chattisgarh developmental programmes.

In addition to this, Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University network with scientific organization and other government departments to spearhead important research programmes in the emerging areas ore processing, creation of value added herbal products, sal based products, high yield honey bee and paper industry. Universities need to rise to the occasion and give the most dynamic opportunity to both the students and teachers to undertake advanced research which will build most important knowledge resource and core competence. The universities will get transformed into Centres of Excellence in mining, forestry, bio-technology and life sciences. I would suggest Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University to develop students for undertaking knowledge powered PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) projects and promoting tourism in the Chhatisgarh region.

Role of universities in National missions

PURA:

The graduates passing out from this university can dedicate themselves to contribute to the mission of developed India 2020 by working in the PURA programme. This mission envisages creation of rural wealth and prosperity. The model envisages a habitat designed to improve the quality of life in rural areas and make special suggestions to remove urban congestion. Physical connectivity by providing roads, electronic connectivity by providing reliable communication network and knowledge connectivity by establishing professional institutions and vocational training centers will have to be done in an integrated way so that economic connectivity will emanate. The PURA has to be a business proposition economically viable and managed by entrepreneurs and small scale industrialists, as it involves education, health, power generation, transport and management. Government's support should be available in empowering such management agencies in providing initially economic support and finding the right type of management structure and the leaders to manage. The PURA scheme makes clusters of villages developed, in addition to maintaining rural beauty.

This University can consider the PURA model to be implemented in the Chattisgarh state keeping the following variables in mind:

(a) number of villages per complex

(b) number of village-complexes for the state

(c) crop pattern for different complexes based on soil, weather, core competence, water availability and region (hill or plain)

(d) cultivation methods

(e) food processing units

(f) bio-diversity of the state

(g) forests products and cottage industries

(h) marketing centres

The model should enable proper selection of clusters and deployment of farmers in different areas of agriculture, agro processing, forest products, handicrafts and cottage industries and the market to make this programme a reality.

Extended University at Bastar

The Bastar region (Kanker, the present Bastar district and Dantewada) is a cradle of world culture. Its rapid development by harnessing natural resources and enabling its re-blossoming into world culture needs new social-technologies and physical technologies.

Like Shantiniketan created Shriniketan campus (intermingling with tribal villages) this University can create a wing at Bastar. Here, by networking with other universities it could demonstrate:

- People?s empowerment (to harness Jal-Jungle-Zameen)

- People?s education and preventive health (via telemedicine and tele-education)

- High tech processing of Minor-forest produce

- International centre for handicrafts culture & tourism

- Alloys Technology;

- e-commerce; e-governance

The participating institute could be Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Vallabhacharya University and Raipur Agriculture University etc.

Conclusion: Message for the youth for the year 2004

For the year 2004, I have a message for the youth of our country. All the youth should have indomitable spirit. Indomitable spirit has two components. First you should have an aim and work for it. Second, while working you will definitely encounter some problems. In those circumstances, do not allow problems to become your master, you should become master of the problems, defeat them and succeed. Fortunately, our nation has a great resource of young population. Ignited minds of the young are the greatest resource compared to any resource on the earth, under the earth and above the earth. When ignited minds work and perform with indomitable spirit, prosperous, happy and safe India is assured.

I wish you all success.