The appointment of the formidable Dharmendra Pradhan as the new Education Minister is a clear indication that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants an end to the backseat driving in the functioning of this major ministry. There has been an increasing feeling, with comparatively weak ministers in the saddle, about too much ‘outside interference’ in functioning of the educational institution under the aegis of the Central government.

The Modi government in 2014 had inherited a rich legacy of education institutions, thanks to the vision of late Human Resource Development (HRD) Arjun Singh and his successor Kapil Sibal, a bouquet of central universities was created across the country which added handsomely to the list of already existing institutions built before and after Independence. Despite the infrastructure, it also remains a fact that education in our country largely remained hostage to the whims and fancies of the Left-leaning ideologues. Over the years there was an increasing desire to break education free from Left-leaning ideological parochialism.

Unfortunately, during the past seven years, the Modi government in this particular sector succumbed to parochialism of another kind. The Left-leaning insularity came to be replaced by Right-wing blinkeredness. The change has been for the worse, as during the Congress and coalition governments, an attempt was always made to create a countervail to the Left’s dominance; however, in the past seven years the so-called czars of cultural nationalism have had a free run.

Unfortunately, the implementation of the agenda of cultural nationalism has been limited to the appointment of the devotees of these czars, blessed with academic mediocrity, to plum positions. Expectedly, many of these appointees miserably failed to rise to the challenges of the office and ended up in situations which brought disrepute to the government. Charges of misuse of office and financial impropriety were levelled against several of these incumbents and some of them also dismissed from office.

This is the opportune moment for the Modi government to expand its ideological base beyond the limited cadres to those, as the late Arun Jaitley would say, waiting to be converted. This ideological blinkeredness so far has left the ministry in pitiable situation with Pradhan’s predecessor, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, being forced to cancel twice the conference of the Vice-Chancellors as 20 out of 40 central universities have been headless for past several months. These include prestigious universities like JNU, BHU, Delhi University and Hyderabad University.

Some of the other Central universities without its top functionary for more than a year are Central Universities of Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu, Manipur, Hari Singh Gour University Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Hyderabad, South Bihar University, the North East Hill University, Rajasthan, Kashmir, the Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad and the Guru Ghasidas Central University in Bilaspur. How does a government which announces the New Education Policy (NEP) with so much fanfare seeks to implement it if the educational institutions remain in a dysfunctional state?

In an interaction with the heads of the IITs and IISc, earlier this week, Prime Minister Modi said that the country’s higher educational and technical institutions need to prepare the youth for continuous disruptions and changes, keeping in mind the fourth industrial revolution. This is easier said than done. Prime Minister Modi is setting very high benchmarks for such centres of higher education and it’s for his government to ensure that these institutions have sufficient talent to execute his plans.

Supplementing to what the Prime Minister said, Pradhan at the same deliberation enunciated his plans saying that the government is committed to making students and the youth the primary stakeholders in propelling India towards an equitable knowledge society and that would foster an environment for creating a future-ready India. The minister saying that the government was committed to inculcating a culture of innovation, encouraging research, entrepreneurship and developing futuristic solutions in higher education, all sounds very good but the challenge lies in the implementation of this vision.

Implementation needs an efficient human resource structure, which unfortunately is non-existent as of now. The delay in affecting appointments of the Vice-Chancellors have had a cascading effect, with the recruitment of other teaching and non-teaching manpower of the universities and most of the colleges and institutions affiliated to them getting stalled. This has ended in giving the impression that education was not the Modi government’s priority, which Pradhan would now need work to alter.

The pandemic and its aftermath have thrown new challenges before the Education Ministry. The migration of the teaching-learning community to the digital platforms has to be real. The digital divide and digital deficit are real time challenges facing the education sector as it has given a huge advantage to the students residing in the urban sector. The seekers of education from rural India, living in lodges and hostels, have been forced to return to their pastoral hearths, which are mostly out of digital networks.

Pradhan’s immediate predecessor gave an impression of micro-managing even things which ordinarily should have been left to the officials. Once again recalling from a lecture by Jaitley, where he had said that camera likes sad pictures and working for the sake of camera could be counter-productive. Education is one area where diverse talent is available in plenty and one can use them provided one looks beyond the cadres and allows talents to function and flourish.

The vision of the Modi government and its implementation would need participation of not just educated but a knowledgeable population. Having come up through students’ politics, Pradhan is best placed to identify with the needs of the post-pandemic world. Challenges posed by Covid-19 to our economy and society can only be overcome by having such an education system, to use the Pradhan’s words, which is committed to inculcating a culture of innovation, encouraging research, entrepreneurship and developing futuristic solutions.

With these challenges and the promise to implement the New Education Policy, Pradhan has a clear roadmap to follow for his ministry. There still is ample time and the minister has a proven track record to carry the officialdom and other stakeholders together. Maybe he can change the perception of the Modi government not being serious about education.

The writer is a political commentator and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice. The views expressed are personal.

Vasant Vihar is a prime colony in South Delhi. But it’s parched dry. It’s like the Thar and Sahara deserts. Soon, we will have Bedouins floating there with camels, I guess. The water crisis has largely become a football game, except we have no results even with a penalty shootout.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and MVV agencies have serially failed the residents with inadequate supplies, more often no supplies, irregularities of pressure, erratic timings. It’s a nightmare in a civilised world. We residents pay taxes, are law-abiding citizens, respect the Constitution, and only want water which is justly allocated to our colony. Our supplies are often diverted to other areas for obvious reasons.

The elderly, physically challenged, sick, are facing hardships for even a few drops of water. The colony has been in constant touch with every agency: Lots of promises, zero results. Unfair!

To hear history sheets of excuses is passé now. Not good. Not tolerable. Water leakage, aged and old pipelines, sewage contamination, all just to add spice to the already fearful and tiered colony. Why should a citizen listen to endless reasons or excuses? We need results and resolution. Not asking for much, from families who have 90 years old and dependents as parents; forget a bath, hand washing is a luxury. We elect politicians to govern, not to fail us. We are in despair.

Yes, as a prime colony and educated, we can’t do dharnas on the road or block traffic. Even if that works, we will not do anything illegal or wrong. Searing heat, high humidity, no water, and no respite. Every morning and night, the highlight is to check if water is coming? Alas, no such luck for 3-4 days at a stretch.

Tankers are hardest to get, phones off the bell, dry but testy eyed, this is an appeal to the authorities that respect your citizens to earn the same. Water forms the basic fabric of existence and survival. Bottled waters for cooking, no cleaning, no sanitation, is what we are at.

In an era of Covid-19, where hygiene is core, even drinking water is scarce. In anxiety and a stressed environment, all we ask for is regular water supply to Vasant Vihar and other colonies too. Blaming other state governments, and all and sundry will not help.

Different agencies merely pass the buck. Crores of taxpayers’ money were wasted last year for new pipelines which never worked. Who is accountable for this loss, pain and misery? We are not politicians or leaders. We are thirsty citizens who demand water.

Delhi government, please resolve this. Our pain is on Twitter since ages, meetings held, letters written, but to no avail. Society has come to a grinding halt in our colony, because we aren’t important or dispensable? Our waters are regularly diverted to other clusters. JEs, heads, CEOs of these agencies all have been contacted. Some days, the excuses are low pressure, burst pipe lube, ammonia constant, maintenance issues, Haryana or other reasons. Reasons haven’t run dry. Our Taos have.

Do we wait for divine intervention of rain gods or wait for justice. God will know better.

The writer, a noted doctor, is a resident of Vasant Vihar, New Delhi.

Different agencies merely pass the buck. Crores of taxpayers’ money were wasted last year for new pipelines which never worked. Who is accountable for this loss, pain and misery? We are not politicians or leaders. We are thirsty citizens who demand water.

NewsX recently interacted with the president and CEO of AGI Glaspac, Rrajesh Khosla as part of its special series NewsX India A-List, where he explained the growth of the glass market especially during these tough times. Talking about the establishment and journey of AGI Glaspac in 1972, Rrajesh said, “The company primarily focuses on the container glass market, making and producing 1600 tons of container glass and 70 million bottles per day.”

When asked about the mega expansion plan in Bhongir, he said, “Part one of the expansion focuses on the speciality glass segment. This glass will be produced for pharmaceuticals, perfumery, biomedicals, etc. It will be serving a niche market. Once everything opens after Covid, it will be in great demand in European and American markets. India will be advantaged as well.”

He further added, “Bhongir is already our establishment. We are producing more than 1000 ton glass per day and it is probably the biggest single location glass manufacturing industry in the world. All infrastructure and facilities are there. Telangana is a good state and it helps in industrial growth.”

Speaking about the overall market share and the brand value in correlation to other industries, Rrajesh said, “India produces almost 7,500 to 8,000 tons per day and we produce 1,600 per day. Almost 20 per cent of the Indian market is our share. But talking about the value-added products, market share is much higher.”

While talking about the factors that have driven the growth story of Glaspac, he said, “Good and healthy relations with customers, investing in new technologies, sustainability and environment concerns are our prime focus”. He added, “The area where we are not present right now is the cosmetic and perfumery sector. And we think this is the right time to enter into the market, as the US and Europe are about to sign some trade deals with India and new markets are going to open up. So once we open up, we will be well placed in the market.”

He said that as of now Glaspac exports to the US, Canada, Europe and Africa, which is nearly 10 per cent. However, they hope to export to New Zealand and Australia, where there is a big wine market. Earlier China had a market there, probably with the new dynamics, he hopes that India will get a chance to enter there.

According to him, the good thing that happened during the pandemic is that companies understood their ‘resilience power’ and how to survive in these tough times. He says, “In every aspect, the supply chain got disturbed. There were not any supporting systems and the customers were not sure. However, everyone understood the need to be together. Now a visibly strong relation with supply chain and employees can be seen and the commitment level of every employee has multiplied. Along with this, the strengthening of the whole system has increased dramatically.”

Aatmanirbhar, in his opinion, is the right mantra at the right time. Stating an example he added, “We strongly believe in Aatmanirbhar, but I do understand that before we switch a hundred per cent over to India, we have to work within ourselves. We should be able to provide what other countries have been providing and satisfy customers’ needs and I consider that as a major step. It is not only going to increase the economy or output but will also generate employment and within that, there will be further employment and high-end employment.”

The future lies optimistically before Rrajesh and his team as he believes that “whatever disturbances happen to the supply chain, we are gonna bounce back and new investments are going to come.”

The history of Bengal goes long back archaeologically, wherein tools from the Stone Age era dating back to almost 20,000 years have been found from various sites. The Mahabharata talks of this area as divided into different kingdoms: Magadha, Banga, Pundra, Anga, and Suhma. Each part was ruled by different tribes, and the languages they spoke belonged to the non-Aryan group of languages (Nishadas or the Austro-Asiatic, Alpine-Dinaric, etc) still extant among some of the tribal communities, such as Kol, Khasi, Santhal, Bhil, and Shabara. The other adjoining janapadas of Bengal at that time were Kalinga (modern Odisha), Videha (now Nepal), and Assam which the Mahabharata mentions as Pragyajyotisha. Bengal also finds mention in the book Indica, written by Megasthenes, who referred to it as Gangaridai.

Some archaeological excavations in the 1960s-70s in the core area of Raarbhumi (Birbhum and Bardhaman) in West Bengal brought about revolutionary changes in the study of Bengal history. Among these the most important site is known as the “Pandu Rajar Dhibi,” in the valley of the river Ajay, near Bolpur, district Bardhaman. The Raarbhumi is fed by the seasonal Ajoy, Mayurakhhi, Kopai, Bakreshwar, Kunnur, and Damodar rivers, while the rivers Subornorekha and Kangsaboti feed the adjoining districts of Medinipur, Bankura, and Purulia. This entire area is the purabhumi or the original fertile tract of prehistoric and ancient Bengal, where settlements from the Stone Age era grew up beside the banks of these roaring monsoon-water-fed rivers, and agriculture started.

Near the Pandu Rajar dhibi is the village Bonkoti where excavations had revealed innumerable microlithic tools made of wood and crystal. Another village beside the Damodar river had produced similar archaeological artefacts of microlithic tools made of crystals and other crushed stones; it was thus clear that the place was most likely a factory for producing such tools. While such artifacts of Neolithic and Chalcolithic era are commonly seen across the Raarbhumi and the adjoining three districts, the excavations at the Pandu Rajar Dhibi changed the course of studies into the pre-proto historic and ancient Bengal.

The ASI reports of the excavations at Pandu Rajar Dhibi during 1962-65 have revealed that Bengal during the latter half of the 2nd millennium BCE had in place a well developed urban culture, with towns having well planned streets and pavements. The residents lived in citadels, and houses that were made of unfired clay reinforced with reeds, while the floors and walls were of plastered beaten laterite. The houses were rectangular to square or round, framed with thick wooden or bamboos posts, the roofs sometimes showed terracotta tiles, floors had lateritic pellets or rammed moorum or terracotta nodules, and the  walls had reeds plastered with mud from both sides.

Use of copper was known, domesticated animals and livestock were kept, while agriculture (rice, sugarcane, and other crops) and commerce formed to be the backbone of their economy. Daily diet of the inhabitants seems to have been of rice, meat, and fish. Their potteries consisted of various kinds of bowls, basins, vases, storage jars, dishes, etc. The dead were buried in east-west orientation, while the worship of matrika figures (fertility figurines, mother goddesses) seemed to be popular.

The most interesting aspect of Pandu Rajar Dhibi, however, was the fact that the town seemed to be a trading settlement. Various artifacts proved that the people here carried on trade not only with other parts of India (Chalcolithic central India and Rajasthan), but also with foreign countries. A sea-faring group of people they would travel in ships built by themselves, and various discoveries at the Dhibi (of 2000 BCE) showed that they had close trade relations with Crete and other Mediterranean nations. The chief trading items with foreign countries were spices, cotton fabrics (likely fine cotton or muslin), silver, gold, ivory, copper, and also probably sugar (always a prominent commercial item in ancient Bengal trade). A seal and clay label with inscribed signs of Cretan A symbols found at the site shows the commercial links between the two places. Besides the Dhibi, other sites such as Tamluk, Midnapur, Harinarayanpur, and Chandraketugarh in West Bengal have also yielded vases of Egyptian and Cretan types, along with sealings and potteries showing distinct Egyptian and Cretan traits.

The 1962-65 ASI excavations at the Pandu Rajar Dhibi revealed four layers of varying periods, of which Period III belongs to around 1000 BCE; Period II is said to belong to the 1012+-120 timeline; while Period I belongs to the earlier times of around 2000 BCE (if not earlier). In the 1964 excavation various artefacts showed that the people living there knew the use of iron, and probably smelted at the site. A Seal and engraving revealed that a writing pattern of sharp linear pattern once existed in the 2nd millennium BCE in the area around the Ajay valley.

The ASI reports of 1962-65 and a later report on the site by M.K. Dhavalikar (1973) show the importance of the Pandu Rajar site in the studies of proto-historic era Bengal. Yet, it is quite unfortunate that the artefacts from the site were not taken up for further advanced studies and scientific analyses. Owing to a complete lack of attention and apathy, the site discoveries got removed from limelight and were soon relegated to the background by the late 70s. Today not many people (including those that live in the nearby districts) know the name of the site; leave aside being aware of its historical importance. Casting a veil over proto-historic and ancient Bengal had started from the late 70s, and has been so successful that today many Bengalis have either forgotten or are not even aware of their rich heritage that once ran parallel to the late Harappan era.

The author is a well-known travel, heritage and history writer. Views expressed are personal.

As the country battles Covid-19 pandemic and majority of Indians spend their time indoors, the food choices of consumers is also undergoing a change. USAPEEC & South Dakota recently organised an insightful session on Processed Poultry Products and discussed the nutritional and safety value of processed foods. An esteemed panel of speakers including Mr. Bhupinder Singh, CEO & MD of Vista Processed Foods, Mr. Rajiv Jaisinghani, CEO & MD of Darshan Foods Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Sivakumar K Vice President, Innovative foods ltd, Mr. Vijay Sardana, Techno-legal expert and Mr. G Balaji Veeraraghavan, DGM Operations, Venkateshwara Hatcheries P Ltd provided their valuable insights.

Speaking about public awareness on benefits of processed poultry products, Mr Sardana said, “It is an important conversation in Covid times when people want good health. There is a saying that you are what you eat. We all should focus on what we eat, from hygienic, nutritional and food delivery point of view. Processed poultry products are a better option as it is cost effective, nutritious and better in hygienic than conventional ways.

There is an Indian understanding that organic, unprocessed local products are better. Talking about how contactless packaging ensures safety, Mr Bhupinder said, “In processed poultry products, cold chain is taken care of carefully. Packaging process is temperature controlled by experts.” To back the claim that processed poultry products are better and healthier, Mr Sivakumar said, “It is process facility that makes it safer, healthier and better. These products come from a processor which has all safety parameters. The raw material hardly gets in contact with workers hands as it is completely automated process.”

Speaking about brands claiming to be producing more healthier, better and safer poultry products, Mr Rajiv emphasised, “We know that good chicken slaughtered wrongly ends up being bad quality chicken. When chicken is slaughtered, cleaned and stored right, you get better, safer and healthier chicken. As food processing companies, we provide quality certification to consumers.”

Mr G Balaji Veeraraghavan further mentioned the convenience logic of easily procuring these processed products. He said “Time spent to cook unprocessed chicken is higher compared to when processed product goes into the kitchen.” Talking about innovation and new technology, he added, “Coming across individual freezing as well as the frozen, tech is concerned that if you have 20- 30 minutes time, you have 500kg to 1 ton material, mind you something which 80 degrees hot, within 20 minutes or get gets to -18 degrees, that is the kind of nutrition locking capability that the technology has and even modern technology, modern innovations, it all interesting consumers have started accepting.”

When asked about market policy and growth rate, Vijay Sardana said “Across the processing food sector, the growth is very fast. There are several factors for it. First of all, cooking is an art. If you don’t know how to cook a chicken curry but you want to eat it so there is a demand for ready-to-eat products. Second, urbanisation is increasing. There is no trying now because now you don’t have time after coming back from work. That’s why all e-commerce food sites and growing.”

He further spoke of the required policy support for processed food industry and said, “As far as financial support is concerned, there are a lot of government schemes to support industry. Public fund is available for development and processed food industry. So, money is not in short supply for processed food industry. As far as market is concerned, we are 140 crore people, so market is also huge. What’s missing in this industry is understanding it and getting deeper into quality, hygienic and marketing aspect which is art aspect. Process food industry is Science plus art. Science part of the industry has developed but what’s missing is the art part.”

Mr Rajiv further expressed how some processed food products are aspirational like ‘seekh kebabs’ which people like to eat. “For a small family, it’s difficult and too much work to prepare it at home. That’s where our processed food comes handy,” he added.

With this, the speakers spoke at length about -what processed actually means and what options are currently out there for the consumers to create wider acceptance for processed poultry products among Indian audience. Overall, it was a well-rounded interactive discussion on an interesting and pertinent topic.

NewsX iTV is launching VaKu, a Diaspora Broadcasting Network, on 10 July. For the first time in the history of Indian television, there is a dedicated platform to showcase the feats and accomplishments of the Indian diaspora. iTV intends to create a dedicated community-based ecosystem to connect India’s brilliant and change-making diaspora with the audience. A wide array of prolific guests of Indian-origin such as Amish Tripathi, author, columnist, and diplomat; Naeem Khan, fashion designer; Babi Ahluwalia, fashion designer; Vivek Lall, scientist & Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation; Rik Mehta, Republican candidate, New Jersey; and Shivaz Rai, CEO, DU Digital Global, will be present at the mega launch on Saturday that will be aired on NewsX from 7 pm to 9 pm. After this, a special bi-weekly broadcast will air on NewsX every week, Wednesday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 10 pm, featuring interviews, award shows, a hall of fame, podcasts, and hangouts. With this, iTV is following an apolitical, not-for-profit model to build a vibrant community for our diaspora using its broadcast channels. Limited memberships are available at nominal prices on Memboro. You can watch the interviews before they air on TV on Memboro, recommend people who should be profiled, get exclusive invites to diaspora webinars and hangouts, submit questions for the guests, get access to exclusive merchandise, have your name profiled on the TV broadcast, vote on the VaKu Hall of Fame, and suggest who should get the VaKu Golden Chakra Awards.