In Conversation with Shri. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’

Shri. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, our Hon’ble Union Minister of Human Resource Development, visited IIT Kanpur as the Chief Guest for our Foundation Day Celebration on 02/11/19. Vox got the opportunity to interact with him personally and get his opinions over a quick QnA session. Here’s the full interview:

Ques- How has your visit to IIT Kanpur been so far?  

Ans- It has been nice, very nice. IIT Kanpur has a long history of its own. As I have already said, IIT Kanpur hosts the scent of India’s independence as well. Feelings of patriotism will lead our nation to make strides forward, and IIT Kanpur will most definitely play a big role in this process. 

Ques- There has been a lot of discussion throughout the nation on the issue of MTech. fees hike in IITs. What do you have to say about it? 

Ans- There is a faulty notion in place here. The truth is, we want students to do MTech. When we analyze this issue, we are actually just taking the required fee from them. What has been happening till now is that students who really want to pursue MTech and go into the research field are being deprived of opportunities while others, in the name of MTech, prepare for something else. A sizeable chunk of them did not come here for MTech, but rather just for the resources. They waste seats that could have been used by students really interested in research. But even then, the government hasn’t taken any measure on its own. It has left the decision to be made by the institutions. If they feel like increasing their fees, they can. We, in fact, encourage students to go for MTech. We have a lot of scholarship programs in place for deserving students. Our intentions are for the good of the students.   

Ques- As the Minister of Human Resource Development, what challenges do you face and how do you plan to tackle them? 

Ans- The biggest challenge right now is to take our country to the peak, and to figure out innovative ways to do so through a combination of modern knowledge, science, and technology with our culture and ancient practices. Our new education policy will include all these elements and increase our population’s employability. We will implement a very “India-centric” education system. As our Prime Minister has said, we need creation in this new India. We need a prosperous, healthy and united India, which is recognized by the whole world. Not only do we want this India to fulfill its citizens’ demands, but also be the central point for the world’s expectations. In fact, it is already on that path. 

Ques- What are the Ministry’s plans for Research and Development in our country? 

Ans- As PM Modi has said, when our country gained its independence, our borders were not secure and we were going through a severe grain shortage. At that time, Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the slogan of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” (Hail the soldier, hail the farmer). The nation successfully tackled the situation. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee came, he realized that we needed more development in the field of science, and thus he added the phrase “Jai Vigyan” (Hail science). And today, as is evident from projects like Chandrayaan 2, we have made immense progress in science. Our PM has now added the phrase “Jai Anusandhan” (Hail research) to the slogan. And for that, our government is establishing the ‘National Research Foundation’ or the NRF. With the help of IITs, Germany and India are working together in fields of mutual and interdisciplinary research. Through our initiatives like Swayam Prabha, we are running a lot of courses. We are also working in fields of higher education. 

Interviewers:- Anmol Chaman, Manjeer Majumder 

Translation by:- Dravya Marwaha