The Union Minister of State (independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER), MoS, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, while addressing the 25th Convocation of Guwahati University has announced the setting up of “Center for Brahmaputra Studies” in the University and said, he dreams of the day when students and scholars form far and wide would come all the way to Guwahati in pursuit of specialized learning and research.
Complimenting the brilliance and diligence of the scholars from a country where inaccessibility and distance is a constraint, Dr. Jitendra Singh on citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for Northeast said, the years to come may witness the region developing as an organic capital of India and when that state is achieved, we will find scholars from far and wide coming to Northeast for research in organic science, organic flora and organic growth. In this context, he also referred to the work undertaken by DoNER Ministry as a follow up to Prime Minister’s announcement for setting up six Agricultural colleges in the region and Rs. 100 crore allocated exclusively for organic farming in the year 2014-15.
Referring to some of the recent initiatives of DoNER Ministry, he spoke of ‘Ishaan Uday’- special scholarship scheme for students of the region and ‘Ishan Vikas’- a scheme to provide apprenticeship facility to students of the region in IITs, NIITs and NIFTs of other parts of the country. He assured that DoNER Ministry will make every possible effort for comfortable and safe hostel accommodation for such students in other cities of India.
Dr. Jitendra Singh called upon the Vice Chancellor and the senior faculty members to prepare a list of potential students capable of pursuing specialist course or Higher Studies and the DoNER Ministry will try to facilitate their entry into such universities. However, he appealed to the students that after pursuing their higher studies in leading universities in other parts of the country, they should come back to their respective States.
Expressing concern over the exodus of students and youth in search of jobs and higher studies outside Northeast, Dr Jitendra Singh proposes to work in close tandem with the HRD Ministry and requested to depute renowned faculty for universities in the Northeast by providing them extra incentives and perks. He has also informed that he has plans to arrange Job fairs and campus interviews by renowned Multi National Companies in the capital cities of eight States because this experiment he had even tried in his own constituency and the result were amazingly encouraging as more and more youth found employment at their doorstep and also placement in their respective native zones.
As a DoNER Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, he would try to work out the feasibility of student exchange programmes with some of the leading foreign universities and referred to his meeting with the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University who also happens to be a medical professional. The Governor Assam, P.B. Acharya and the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi were also present on the occasion.
