Role Of Universities And Higher Education Institutions In Achieving Vision Of Viksit Bharat 2047

Dr Raj Nehru, Vice Chancellor, Shri Vishwakarma Skill University

NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The idea of Viksit Bharat is a powerful tool that has the capacity to ignite young minds to produce innovative ideas that will transform India in next 25 years. By 2047, Bharat is set to leap forward into a $ 30 Trillion nation, from a $ 4 Trillion economy, by disrupting and transforming various sectors for their contribution be it Healthcare, Information Technology, Agriculture, Services, Manufacturing etc.

As per data analysis, Bharat needs to have it’s GDP to grow at cumulative annual growth rate of 9% and above for next 24 years. New ideas, innovations, Automation and technological transformation is required in these areas that can lead to creating of opportunities for social and economic progress.

The role of Universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEI) is going to be significant in driving and achieving this target and without engaging, exciting, enabling and empowering the demographic dividend (power of youth) the journey seems not only difficult but impossible.

Educational institutions especially Universities can employ several strategies to excite students for idea generation. Some of the suggestions that can help institutions to engage, enable and excite students are:

1. Democratisation of Education: The mindset of academicians that what they design and offer shall be accepted by students need to change and instead leave the choice of tailoring and stitching various courses into a program by students themselves, based on their preferences and choices. The students need to be empowered to make choices for their learning and Skilling based on their interests and choices rather than imposing upon them.

2. Demand Led Design: The academicians need to step out of their comfort zones and scan the environment, market, industry needs, student preferences, technology changes and through a consultative and inclusive process design and develop need based programs, courses that would be preferred by all relevant stake holders. The programs offered must have the vision of Viksit Bharat resonating in it’s true essence.

3. Foster a creative and inclusive environment: Create an atmosphere that encourages creativity, open-mindedness, and collaboration. Support diverse perspectives and ideas to inspire students to think outside the box. This requires teachers and Trainers to break the departmental barriers, come out of cilos, see the bigger picture and collaborate for a larger purpose.

4. Provide exposure to real-world challenges: As a developing nation, todays Bharat has enormous challenges faced in various sectors and every University and HEI can scan their surroundings to find areas where students can be encouraged and enabled to work upon. Connect students with real-world local problems and challenges through internships, research projects or partnerships with industries. Engage them in problem-solving activities to encourage idea generation. Outcome based Research must be promoted that is aimed to create social or economic impact

5. Offer interdisciplinary programs: Develop interdisciplinary programs that bring together students from different fields of study. This can promote cross-pollination of ideas and encourage innovative thinking. HEIs must implement National Credit Framework that has given freedom to institutions to innovate and create a flexible and inclusive learning environment.

6. Organize innovation competitions and challenges: Host Hackathons, innovation competitions and challenges where students can showcase their ideas and receive feedback. Engage industry captins, angle investors and venture capitalists to give feedback and mentor ideas. This fosters a competitive and supportive environment that motivates idea generation.

7. Encourage entrepreneurial activities: Offer resources and support for students interested in entrepreneurship. Provide mentorship, funding opportunities, and access to incubators or accelerators, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and encouraging idea generation.

8. Implement design thinking and brainstorming techniques: Introduce design thinking and brainstorming techniques as part of the curriculum. These methods can help students generate ideas, iterate on them, and develop innovative solutions.

9. Host guest lectures and workshops: Invite guest speakers from various industries to share their experiences and insights with students. Conduct workshops on creativity, problem-solving techniques, and idea generation to inspire students. Students must also be encouraged for internship and mentoring

10. Create platforms for sharing ideas: Establish platforms, such as student-led clubs or online communities, where students can share and discuss their ideas. Encourage active participation and facilitate networking opportunities.

11. Peer Learning: Develop network platforms where students can engage outside classes, institute, state and country with other students. Think Global and Act Local.

12. Reverse Mentoring: Millenials and Zillenials have a different creative learning appetite. Their ability to grasp emerging technology is very high. Reverse mentoring can excite them and will help academicians to learn new things through their students.

Remember, every student is unique, so it’s important to create an environment that supports personalized approaches to idea generation and encourages students to explore their passions.

Top US visa and immigration updates from 2023 and expectations from 2024

WASHINGTON, Dec 30: Many significant changes were made to policies in US visa and immigration in 2023. From changes in EB-5 and H-1B Policy to important updates in student visa policies, United States seems to be ushering in a period of long awaited reforms.

Also significant among the changes is how H-1B visa holders will simply have to mail their visas to the State Department, and not have to travel outside the US, as a pilot program.

Here’s a look at some important changes and updates that were made this year:

1) Updates in US student visa policies

This year, the US increased processing fees for F, M, and J visas. Consular officers were given more authority to consider the current intentions of applicants. F, M, and J student visa applicants will also have to provide passport details as part of an anti-fraud initiative.

2) Relaxations for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs)

The eligibility criteria for initial and renewal applications for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) were significantly relaxed by USCIS this year. This is expected to help people struggling with delays in availability of visas.

3) EAD validity extension

The maximum validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) was extended to five years in 2023 by USCIS, proving beneficial to non-citizens who need employment authorization in certain categories.

4) Changes in EB-5 Policy

Under a policy implemented by USCIS this year, investors who create 10 jobs will be allowed to be reimbursed after two years. The policy, meant to align with the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, states that these investors will also remain eligible for a US green card. The processing speed of EB-5 visa applications has also been improved.

5) H-1B visa renewal pilot program

A limited number of H-1B specialty occupation workers in the US will be allowed to renew their visas in January, according to State Department officials. The rollout of the H-1B domestic visa renewal pilot will only be limited to 20,000 participants initially. These applicants will just have to mail their visas to the State Department, and will not be allowed to travel outside the US.

6) US immigrant visa reform bill introduced

A bill introduced in the US House of Representatives by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by US Representative Pramila Jayapal along with Rep. Rich McCormick and Rep. Raja Krishnamo, will eliminate the per-country caps on employment-based green cards. The bill, named the HR6542 Act, will also increase the family-based green card limit and is expected to address the backlog of green card applicants.

7) Toughening of citizenship tests expected

Changes to the US citizenship tests are expected, but it is unclear what these changes might be. Among other important developments that are expected are finalisation of proposed fee changes, and discussions around revisions to the citizenship test.

UK Says Family Visa Salary Requirement To Be Raised In Stages

LONDON, Dec 22: The UK said Thursday it would raise its controversial minimum salary requirement for family visas in stages "to give predictability" to immigrant families.

The embattled Conservative government unveiled a raft of measures earlier in December, aimed at cracking down on record levels of migration -- a key battleground issue in the general election expected next year.

The adjustments, announced by the Home Office on Thursday, comes after a previously announced 47-percent hike in the minimum salary for skilled work visas, lifting it to 38,700 pounds ($49,100).

Initially set at 29,000 pounds, up from the current 18,600 pounds, it would eventually reach the planned 38,700 pounds, though no timeline beyond spring has been detailed.

The government intends to ultimately synchronise the threshold for family visas with that of skilled work visas.

The Home Office said child allowances would no longer be used to calculate income requirements.

This would ensure that British nationals were not treated less favourably than migrants, whose threshold will be a flat rate, regardless of any children being sponsored.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the overall plan would reduce net migration to the UK by an anticipated 300,000 people compared to the previous year.

The government also announced changes to the list of occupations in short supply, and to measures ensuring that immigrants can adequately support family members.

Tightened regulations for students and a 66-percent increase in the health surcharge for foreigners using the National Health Service were also part of the broader immigration strategy.

According to recent statistics, net immigration last year was significantly higher than initial estimates, with 745,000 people arriving, far surpassing the predicted 606,000.

Immigration is set to be a key issue in nationwide elections that must be held by January 2025, and which the main opposition Labour party is currently favoured to win.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to reduce new arrivals and has been under pressure ever since statistics released last month showed that net migration to Britain hit a high in 2022.

Eiffel Tower Closed As Staff Go On Strike On 100th Anniversary Of Creator's Death

PARIS, Dec 28: The Eiffel Tower, one of the world's top tourist attractions, was closed Wednesday after staff went on strike, the landmark's operator said.

The one-day stoppage on the 100th anniversary of the death of engineer Gustave Eiffel, who built the tower, was to protest against "the current way it is managed", the hard-left CGT union said in a statement.

The tower's operator SETE was "headed for disaster", it said.

The CGT said management was running the Eiffel Tower according to a business model that was "too ambitious and unsustainable" and that it said was based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers while under-estimating construction costs.

SETE apologized to visitors, advising anyone with electronic tickets for Wednesday "to check their email" for more information on their booking.

The Eiffel Tower -- Paris's most famous landmark -- attracts nearly seven million visitors a year, around three-quarters of them foreigners, according to its website.

During the Covid pandemic numbers dropped sharply due to closures and travel restrictions but recovered to 5.9 million in 2022.

The CGT said the tower's management was basing its future budget on 7.4 million annual visitors, although "this level has never been reached".

Stephane Dieu, a CGT union rep at the Eiffel Tower, said that the monument was not sufficiently funded to pay for "very large maintenance work" that was needed.

"The Eiffel Tower is old, it's an old lady of 130 years," he said. "We have lifts here that were built in 1899."

Unless a financial deal could be made with the city of Paris, "we will run out of cash in 2025, despite our visitor numbers".

Some visitors who had hoped to go up the 1,083-foot structure expressed their frustration when they were turned away.

"We came here this morning to visit this magnificent Eiffel Tower," said Alessandro Monaco, 40, an Italian tourist.

"We were gobsmacked to see that there was a strike, that was a bit tough. It's a real pity," he said.

But Marie-Christine Riviere, a French health insurance consultant, said she was not too disappointed at being unable to climb up.

"The important thing is to see the Eiffel Tower, strike or no strike," she told AFP.

Eiffel died on December 27, 1923, at the age of 91.

While he will always be remembered mostly for his eponymous tower, he designed hundreds of other landmarks around the globe.

He created his reputation as a builder of railway bridges, but also used his metal wizardry to build the Pest railway station in Hungary, lighthouses in Finland and Madagascar, the structure of the Saigon Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City, and the iron framework of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Jeff Bezos draws inspiration from this quote on his fridge

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 25: Even Jeff Bezos, one of the world's richest peo, sometimes needs inspiration and motivation to surge forth in life. How does he cope with the solitude being at the top of the world brings along? Well, per a quote on his fridge, he moves forward in life by redefining success.

Bezos, the undisputed king of e-commerce in the world and a pioneering space entrepreneur, tweeted a photo in 2018 that provided a glimpse into his thought process. "Love this quote. It’s been on my fridge for years, and I see it every time I open the door. #Emerson," he had written.

The quote on the fridge is widely credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded," the quote reads.

With the quote, Bezos appeared to be suggesting how success is way more than being the richest man in the world.

Lines like 'to leave the world a better place' and 'to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived', also show his spiritual side.

His actions over the past three decades shows he actually wants to leave the world a better place. Since becoming the world's most successful e-commerce billionaire, he has funneled his billions into making his space company Blue Origins a success. After Elon Musk, he is the second American dreamer to have done so.

In the past, he has called space exploration his passion.

He wants to be remembered as the one who pioneered the entrepreneurial explosion.

"If I’m 80 years old, looking back on my life and the one thing I have done is make it so that there is this gigantic entrepreneurial explosion in space for the next generation," he had said in a 2016 interview.

His quote had received thousands of retweets.

Bezos's net worth is 175.7 billion dollars as of now, according to Forbes. He draws most of his net worth from the 10 percent stake he holds in Amazon, an e-commerce company he founded in 1994.

'No Christmas Tree, No Joy' In Bethlehem, Birthplace Of Jesus Christ

BETHLEHEM, Dec 25: Bethlehem is normally at its busiest at Christmas but this year war has scared away tourists and pilgrims from the Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, leaving hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops deserted.

With global headlines dominated since October 7 by news of the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, followed by Israel's military assault on Gaza and a rise in violence in the West Bank, business owners in Bethlehem said no one was coming.

"We have no guests. Not one," said Joey Canavati, owner of the Alexander Hotel, whose family has lived and worked in Bethlehem for four generations.

"This is the worst Christmas ever. Bethlehem is shut down for Christmas. No Christmas tree, no joy, no Christmas spirit," he said.

Located just south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is heavily reliant for income and jobs on visitors from all over the world who come to see the Church of the Nativity, believed by Christians to stand on the site where Jesus was born.

Canavati said that before Oct. 7, his hotel was fully booked for Christmas, to the point that he was looking for rooms elsewhere in the town to help out people he could not fit in.

Since the war started, everyone cancelled, including bookings for next year. "All we get on the email is cancellation after cancellation after cancellation," said Canavati.

He took a reporter on a tour of the hotel, opening doors to empty rooms and showing the silent dining room.

"We had at least 120 people having dinner here every night and it was packed. The noise, the people. Empty. No Christmas breakfast, no Christmas dinner, no Christmas buffet," he said.

Since the 1967 war between Israel and neighbouring Arab countries, Israel has occupied the West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state.

Israel has built Jewish settlements, deemed illegal by most countries, across the territory. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land. Several of its ministers live in settlements and favour their expansion.

Since Oct. 7, the West Bank has experienced a rise in attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians, which were already at a 15-year high this year before the Hamas attack.

Bethlehem's Manger Square, a large paved space in front of the Church of the Nativity that usually serves as a focal point for Christmas celebrations, was quiet and almost empty, as were nearby streets where most souvenir shops were shuttered.

Rony Tabash, who sells crucifixes, statuettes of the Virgin Mary and other religious trinkets in his family's store, was tidying shelves and merchandise to pass the time.

"We are almost two months without any pilgrim, any tourist," he said, adding that he was keeping the store open as a way to stave off hopelessness.

"We want to feel that everything will be back, like to normal life," he said.

Ala'a Salameh, owner of falafel restaurant Afteem, said his business was operating at 10% or 15% of capacity, catering for local Palestinian families rather than the usual influx of foreign visitors.

He said he was keeping the restaurant open because his staff needed the work.

"I have workers, so from where I can give them money to take and to feed their families, their kids?" he said.

"We are praying for peace. For peace. You know, Bethlehem is the city where peace was born, so it should be the messenger for peace to be spread all over the world."

Pope Francis deplores 'desperate humanitarian situation' in Gaza

ROME, Dec 25: Pope Francis on Monday called for the release of hostages and an end to the war in Gaza during his annual Christmas Day mass.

"My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of 7 October, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage," he said during the "Urbi and Orbi" blessing.

“I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid.”

New York To Have Mahatma Gandhi And Martin Luther King Jr. Museum

By Deepak Arora

NEW YORK, Dec 15: In a historic meeting today, Gandhian Society board members Sravan Natakala and founder Bhadra Butala met with New York City officials to discuss exciting collaboration opportunities towards peace, nonviolence, and social justice.

The meeting included Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs Dilip Chauhan and Commissioner Edward Mermelstein, who expressed the City's full support for a groundbreaking initiative: a permanent museum dedicated to the life and legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

"This potential partnership represents a monumental step forward in promoting the values of peace and equality that both Gandhi and King championed," said Sravan Natakala, Gandhian Society board member. "By showcasing their shared message of nonviolent resistance and social justice, this museum would serve as a beacon of inspiration for generations to come."

The proposed museum would be a first-of-its-kind institution, offering a unique platform for education, dialogue, and action. It would delve into the remarkable lives of Gandhi and King, highlighting their unwavering commitment to justice and their transformative impact on the world stage.

"We are honored by the City's enthusiastic support for this important initiative," said Bhadra Butala, founder of the Gandhian Society. "A permanent museum in New York City would not only celebrate the legacies of Gandhi and King, but also inspire future generations to embrace their principles and strive for a more just and peaceful world."

Both the Gandhian Society and New York City officials are committed to moving forward with this ambitious project. A follow-up meeting is scheduled to finalize the details of collaboration and set the stage for the museum's development.

The Gandhian Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the principles of Mahatma Gandhi in the United States. Through education, dialogue, and community service, the Society fosters understanding and appreciation for Gandhi's message of nonviolence, truth, and social justice.