Monday, August 17, 2009

Manmohan Singh chair to be instituted in PU

Manmohan Singh chair to be instituted in PU
Express News Service
Posted: Aug 17, 2009 at 0213 hrs IST

Chandigarh In a move to honour its alumnus and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Panjab University (PU) has proposed to institute a chair in his name at his former department — the Department of Economics.

The proposal has been approved by the Syndicate and awaits a final nod from the Senate. Even as sources confirm that the proposal is in its preliminary stages, the department says it has not received any communication on the setting up of the new chair.

“It is a matter of prestige for our department to have the chair and once set up, we will have a chance to interact with world-class faculty,” said chairperson of the Economics department, Dr Upinder Sawhney, adding that the department was yet to receive a formal communication on the decision.

This will be the second chair in the university in the name of a prime minister, the earlier one being in the name of Rajiv Gandhi.

The much-coveted Rajiv Gandhi chair was approved by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development in 2005. With the chair lying vacant ever since, the university has not only lost out on the grants, but has also missed out on the massive research projects that could have been undertaken.

The other chairs include Sheikh Baba Farid Chair, Guru Ravi Das Chair of Sant Sahitya Studies, Guru Nanak Sikh Studies Chair and Bhai Veer Singh Chair.

Of these, the Sheikh Baba Farid Chair has been lying vacant since 2003, Bhai Veer Singh Chair since 2004 and Guru Nanak Sikh Studies Chair for almost a decade.

Prabjit Singh, a Fellow at the university, said: “We have taken up the issue of vacant chairs and hope they will be filled soon. The addition of the Dr Manmohan Singh chair is indeed an issue of prestige for the university, and we hope it will help the department develop further.”

with thanks : source : http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/manmohan-singh-chair-to-be-instituted-in-pu/502794/

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