Jammu, Nov 30: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday asked the Universities in the Union Territory to introduce new courses and rewrite the existing curriculum with a focus on capacity building to bridge the gap between availability and requirement of different sectors of the economy.
He made these remarks while chairing the 35th meeting of the executive council of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University here, emphasising on introducing new courses with a focus on different sectors of the economy.
The meeting discussed several important academic and administrative issues pertaining to career advancement promotion of faculty members, non-functional promotion of non-teaching staff members, increasing enrolment, campus placements, university’s outreach programmes, promotion of innovation & start-ups, research, training and skill development programs, an official press release informed.
It said the LG emphasised on introducing new courses and rewriting the existing curriculum with the focus on capacity building to bridge the gap between availability and requirement of different sectors of the economy.
“University must formulate a comprehensive strategy to promote innovative programs and courses like Design Your Degree, Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Management and Architecture with specialization in Urban & Town planning. We need to fill the gap in the availability of employable skills. We should also focus on strengthening the School of Languages and promote regional languages and Sanskrit,” he said.
The Executive Council gave in-principle approval to various agenda points presented during the meeting. The meeting also deliberated on designing of curriculum and academic guidelines in alignment with NEP-2020, creation of Faculty of Medical Sciences under SMVDIME and other reforms to bring further qualitative improvement in the overall functioning of the University.
The chair was also briefed on the action taken report on decisions taken during previous meetings, ongoing construction works and the recent initiatives to strengthen SMVDU- Technology Business Incubation Centre.
Prof. (Dr.) Pragati Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University presented various Agenda items before the Executive Council for approval and ratification.
The meeting was attended by Prof. (Dr.) Pragati Kumar, Vice Chancellor, SMVDU; Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor Jammu University; Prof. Nilofer Khan, VC Kashmir University; Prof. Pankaj Chandra, Vice Chancellor & Chairman, Board of Management, Ahmedabad University; Prof. A.S.K. Sinha, Director, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology; Prof. Manoj Singh Gaur, Director, IIT, Jammu; Dr Mandeep Bhandari, Principal Secretary to LG; Anshul Garg, CEO, SMVDSB; Ajay Kumar Sharma, Registrar, SMVDU and other members of the SMVDU Executive Council.
LG assures every support to strengthen Bharat Scouts, Guides movement in J-K
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday assured every support and necessary assistance to further strengthen the Bharat Scouts and Guides movement in the union territory.
Sinha, the chief patron of J&K Bharat Scouts and Guides, was interacting with the volunteers and officials of the organization, at Raj Bhawan here, an official spokesman said.
The LG commended the volunteers and everyone associated with the movement for their exemplary contribution to society.
“Scouts and Guides inculcates among youth values of our civilization and ancient culture. They are inspiring examples of discipline, camaraderie and selfless service,” he said.
Sinha also congratulated the J&K Bharat Scouts and Guides team for inspiring more youth from the Union Territory to join the noble mission.
“It is a matter of great pride that J&K Bharat Scouts and Guides have seen a massive increase in enrolment of volunteers from 7500 in 2020 to 14,000 in 2024. The work done by the team is truly praiseworthy and they continue to discharge the duties with efficiency and effectiveness,” he said.
He said the young volunteers of J&K Bharat Scouts and Guides symbolise hope and promise of J&K and “I am confident they will play a crucial role in bringing about constructive socio-economic changes in the Union Territory”.
On the occasion, the LG was presented with the ‘Bharat Scouts & Guides Flag Sticker’ as a part of its foundation day celebration, which was observed on November 7.
He was also briefed about the activities and achievements of the Scouts & Guides in J&K, the spokesman said.
