Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh will establish research chairs in eligible universities and colleges to promote research on India's ancient knowledge systems, philosophy, science and culture in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the state government said on Thursday.
The government has issued detailed guidelines for setting up the 'Indian Knowledge Tradition Promotion Research Chairs' in state universities and government and aided colleges.
According to Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay, only institutions that have completed 50 years of existence, have more than 5,000 students and are recognised under Sections 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act will be eligible to apply.
Each selected research chair will receive a one-time grant of Rs 2 crore for five years. The grant will be kept as a fixed deposit and the interest earned will be used for regular operations, research activities and academic programmes. Additional resources may also be mobilised through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), donations and other lawful sources, he said.
The research chairs will encourage studies on the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Jain and Buddhist philosophy, Ayurveda, yoga, Indian mathematics, astronomy, architecture, agriculture, environmental conservation and other traditional knowledge systems.
Research grants and academic assistance will be provided to PhD, post-doctoral and undergraduate and postgraduate researchers. The initiative also envisages publication of research works, translations and critical editions with international standards, including ISBN and DOI identifiers.
Rare manuscripts and ancient texts will be digitised and preserved, while research findings will be made available through open-access digital libraries and Massive Open Online Courses, the government said in a statement.
The institutions will also organise national and international conferences, workshops and lecture series and introduce diploma and certificate courses on Indian knowledge traditions, it added.
A management committee headed by the vice chancellor or principal will oversee each research chair. Directors, chair professors, research assistants, research fellows and digital and IT experts will be appointed for its functioning.
Upadhyay said the initiative would help establish Uttar Pradesh as a global centre for Indian knowledge traditions while instilling cultural pride, confidence and a research-oriented outlook among the youth.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
