PU, languages institute to ink pact for Bharatvani project

Bhartesh Singh Thakur 

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, October 22 

Panjab University is planning to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, to become a part of Bharatvani project for translating various works in Indian languages. 

The CIIL is mandated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to prepare digital knowledge depository and make information available in about 100 Indian languages for public good through the project. 

As per the portal, bharatvani.in, the project is launched with an aim of delivering knowledge in and about all languages in the country using multimedia formats through a portal. 

Vice-Chancellor Prof Raj Kumar has given his approval for the tie-up. The CIIL had sent a communication to the university requesting support for sharing knowledge repository created by PU.

A panel was formed, which recommended that PU should share relevant information with CIIL and take necessary steps for the signing of Deed of Assignment of Copyright. 

Prof Ramanjit Kaur Johal, Director, Research Promotion Cell (RPC) has approved the Deed of Assignment of Copyright and Prof CN Kumar from the physics department has been appointed as the key contact person for the MoU. 

“We will offer books published in Hindi, Sanskrit and Punjabi, whose copyright is with us, to CIIL for translation in Indian languages,” said Prof Kumar. 

‘Provisional DST Inspire fellowship for PhD’

The RPC has clarified that provisional DST (Department of Science and Technology) Inspire fellowship will now not be the criteria for admission to PhD. 

Earlier, all postgraduate science toppers used to get fellowship, but due to high number of students available for the fellowship, DST changed the criteria in 2017 and started rating candidates based on their institution, project and supervisor.  Recently, two students of the department of microbiology gave a representation to the Director, RPC, wherein it was stated that both were enrolled in the department on the basis of provisional DST Inspire fellowship on May 2017 and August 2017, respectively. 

But R&S branch of PU declined their continuation on the basis of provisional fellowship. The RPC discussed the issue in its meeting on July 18 and commented that as such cases might come in future also, a clear cut regulations needed to be framed. 

It resolved that PhD scholars could only continue till such time that “the rules allow them to continue their registration with allowable extensions before confirmation”.