GUWAHATI, Aug 9 - Universities should act as catalysts, as epicentres of knowledge and as centres for societal development, said Governor PB Acharya, while interacting with the vice chancellors of various universities of the State and research scholars along with their guides on the researches carried out in tea gardens and tea garden workers, at the Raj Bhawan today.
Acharya said universities should work for the primary social obligation of strengthening society. He said, �mere getting a degree is not enough, one should make the right use of the degrees by applying them for social development and social transformation. Researches from the laboratory should go to the fields�. He urged the research scholars to channelise the results of their researches to bolster welfare of the tea garden labourers and the ex-tea garden labourers.
Acharya, on the basis of the various indicators, constituted six groups. All the VCs of the universities have been made the leader of each group. The group members will be the research scholars of the respective universities. Tezpur University has been assigned to discuss the research carried out in education and culture of the tea garden workers.
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat has been entrusted with model house, documentation and tribal dialect. Gauhati University has been asked to work on women in domestic violence and ex-tea gardens. Bodoland University will work on health and sanitation. Dibrugarh University will find reports on entrepreneurship and tea marketing.
Assam University will work on social evil and character building. The Governor also requested the universities to prepare the reports and submit them within six months for future course of action.
The vice chancellors and the research scholars also presented their expert view points on the research papers carried out on tea garden workers and pledged to work diligently in building society.
Tezpur University VC Prof Mihir Kanti Choudhury; VC of Gauhati University Dr Mridul Hazarika; VC of Bodoland University Dr Hemanta Kumar Baruah; AAU VC Dr Kamal Malla Bujarbaruah; Assam University VC�s nominee Parthankar Choudhury; Chandan Kumar Sharma from Tezpur University; research scholars; professors from different universities and other dignitaries were present in the programme.
