Silchar: Dr Ambedkar Centre of Excellence to come up at Assam University

Silchar, April 23: Along with the 31 central universities of the country, Assam University Silchar will also have Dr Ambedkar Centre of Excellence (DACE), an initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India.

The Dr Ambedkar Centre of Excellence (DACE) was ceremoniously launched at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Friday by Dr Virendra Kumar, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India in the presence of the Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel, Prof Sudhir K Jain, vice-chancellor BHU, officials from Dr Ambedkar Foundation, New Delhi and other dignitaries.

Prof Rajive Mohan Pant, vice-chancellor of the Assam University Silchar, along with Dr PK Nath, the Registrar attended the ceremony for the signing of MoUs with Dr Ambedkar Foundation, New Delhi, informed that the university is among the 31 varsities in the country including three from the North-Eastern states to have the Dr Ambedkar Centre of Excellence. Also, the university has been provided with Dr Ambedkar Chair, the vice-chancellor said.

"It is a great day for Assam University Silchar to have been selected for the Dr Ambedkar Centre of Excellence (DACE). Under this, our mandate will be to work for social equity and uplifting of the weaker section of the society and also provide coaching for students coming from the lesser privileged strata for appearing in the Civil Services and other competitive examinations. We are among the 24 universities to be provided with Dr Ambedkar Chair. There will be one professor post, one assistant professor post along with two research associates to work exclusively for the socio-economic transformation of the lesser-privileged section of the society," the vice-chancellor said.

Moreover, Prof Pant added that a few days ago, the university received the sanction letter and first instalment regarding the centre for Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) from the All India Council of Technical Education under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. "Barak Valley has got a rich cultural base. Being part of the academic institution, it is our responsibility to disseminate knowledge among the people by bringing to the fore the indigenous knowledge base. Under the IKS at the university, we shall strive to analyse scientifically and document the traditional and time tested practices of the catchment areas of the region, primarily from across Barak Valley, which is getting lost with time. We shall chalk out the scheme of work for the IKS after holding a meeting with the stakeholders shortly," Prof Pant said.