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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Promote cashless, earn marks -Basant Kumar Mohanty

Promote cashless, earn marks -Basant Kumar Mohanty

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published Published on Dec 4, 2016   modified Modified on Dec 4, 2016
-The Telegraph

New Delhi: Participating as a volunteer in the Centre's financial literacy campaign for a cashless economy will yield academic credits to students of higher educational institutions, including the IITs.

The Union HRD ministry has launched a scheme called the Vittiya Saksharta Abhiyan (Visaka) under which heads of institutions have been advised to give students credits for taking forward the Prime Minister's agenda.

"Directors of all institutions should ensure that the necessary credit in academics for project work is given to the student volunteers of Visaka," said an HRD ministry note.

At present, educational institutions require students to participate in some kind of extra-curricular activity or the other. The IITs give academic credits for such activity. But in many universities, it is treated as a voluntary activity without any credit.

In the IITs, BTech students get academic credits for taking part in games and sports, the National Service Scheme, the National Cadet Corps and yoga.

An IIT Kanpur faculty member said extra-curricular activities were decided by the senate, the top academic body of the tech school.

The HRD ministry is not supposed to give directions on what constitutes academic credit. "Each institution has its own academic forum to decide academic matters. They are supposed to take a call," the faculty member said.

The government's note said: "It would be the responsibility of the Directors to ensure that the presentation on different digital modes of payment is downloaded & translated into the concerned regional language, apart from English and circulated in their areas of operation."

The note explains the benefits of a cashless economy and how it helps eliminate black money, enhance tax compliance and eradicate counterfeit currency.

"The Directors also have the responsibility to liase with their bankers and coordinate in such a manner that both the institute and the students' activities are facilitated."

It is important for the nation to digitally educate and empower itself, the note said.

"Obtaining the co-operation of the bank(s) in their region is the responsibility of the Directors, especially in activities like opening of new accounts, issue of pre-paid cards and other basic matters where the students may not obtain easy access with the financial institutions."

Apoorva Anand, who teaches Hindi in Delhi University, said this was direct interference in the matters of autonomous academic institutions.

"It is not for the government to tell the institutions to ensure its implementation. Government can maximum recommend to institution if it wants something to be done. What the government has done is very China-like," Anand said.

N.R. Madhava Menon, the founder vice-chancellor of West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, said the government had every right to recommend any academic matter in public interest.

"Since the dissemination of knowledge is for public good, the government has every right to recommend to the institutions. People need some training. But the government cannot impose anything on institutions," he said.

Despite several attempts, Ghanshyam Goel, the spokesperson for the HRD ministry, could not be contacted. A senior ministry official said this was mere advice that would have to considered by academic bodies of institutions.

HRD minister Prakash Javadekar yesterday spoke with academic heads of higher educational institutions through video-conference.

He said the country was undergoing a transformational shift towards a digital economy and the youth should not only witness the change but also proactively participate in it by becoming agents of change, a government release had quoted him as saying.

He appealed to higher education institutions not to receive fees, fine or any deposit from students in cash. The institutions will not pay anything in cash, whether it is wages to workers on the campus or to any vendor.

The minister launched a webpage where students can register themselves, give continuous feedback and suggestions on the initiative as well as upload the progress of their work.

The Telegraph, 3 December, 2016, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1161203/jsp/frontpage/story_122799.jsp#.WEQW1bmdeyA


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