JU celebrates 75th  Republic Day with patriotic fervour 

JAMMU, Jan 26 – The University of Jammu today celebrated the 75^th Republic Day with a spectacular display of patriotic fervour and enthusiasm. 

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Umesh Rai hoisted the National Flag in the University Campus, amid the resonating National Anthem .

On his arrival, the Vice Chancellor was given a Guard of Honour by the university’s security wing. A momentous addition to this year’s celebration was the participation of NCC Cadets, Senior Wing, University of Jammu , in tune with the national mood of women empowerment.

Extending Republic Day greetings to students, scholars,  faculty and the staff , Prof. Rai lauded the police, armed and paramilitary forces for safeguarding the integrity and sovereignty of the nation, and paid homage to martyrs, who offered supreme sacrifice in line of their duty. The indebted nation will always remember the sacrifices made by the brave hearts for integrity of the motherland, he added.

The Vice Chancellor complimented the NCC JK Girls Battalion, some of the cadets of which are credited of bagging Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat- Gold Medal in Debate Category and 11 Gold Medals in Army Training Camp Nagrota and various other National Camps

Highlighting the strides made by the University of Jammu, the Vice Chancellor spelled out in detail the various initiatives undertaken in recent times. He referred to the two important programmes—- Design Your Degree and College on Wheels, saying the Design Your Degree has got recognition at the National Level and shall soon be implemented in various Universities of the country. He said the other programme, Colleges on Wheels has got recognition, not only at the national level but internationally as well. This initiative of Lieutenant Governor Mr Manoj Sinha witnessed participation of 400 students from Kashmir division and 300 from the Jammu region, reflecting the time tested spirit of unity, he added. 

Prof. Rai said that a corpus fund of Rs. 50 Lakh has been allocated for the publication of Litzine Magazine by the Literary Club. 

The Vice Chancellor expressed optimism about the university’s odyssey to academic excellence, research, and community engagement. He said that  the choice-based credit system and Common University Entrance Test (CUET) have been implemented successfully. He also stressed the need for opening doors of the educational institutions for students of the other states in Jammu and Kashmir and encourage students from the Union Territory to go to universities of the other states for knowledge sharing.

Prof Rai said that more than Rs 70 crore have been sanctioned by the Jammu and Kashmir Government for infrastructural development. He said Lieutenant Governor Mr Manoj Sinha is laying the foundation stone of Innovation Tower soon. A state-of-the-art main gate and renovation of guest house is also being undertaken, he added.

“Under the Trans-disciplinary Research Scheme, 12 research projects, involving Rs 70 lakhs, have been sanctioned for the faculty members of the university. The university is also striving to promote research activities and a proposal to increase the travel grants to the faculty and students besides increasing the number of fellowships for the students is on the anvil. These initiatives are aimed at encouraging the students for research and promoting academic activities, he said.

Prof. Rai said that  the University has received generous support and financial assistance of around Rs 4 crores from the Government of J&K UT for the promotion of entrepreneurship and startup culture. He referred to the organization of the startup fair “Igniter”, saying the University has entered into four MoU’s with J&K Bank, Department of Science and Technology, J&K Government, Directorate of Skill Development and J&K Startups Association. 

“We have also invited those who are running startups at the National level and they have extended support by offering internships to desirous students who are interested in setting up of start-ups”, he added.

Under Environmental and Green initiatives, the Vice Chancellor said rooftop rainwater harvesting for various departments has been completed and the campus has also been declared green campus. Grid-based rooftop solar panelling of 1.1 Megawatt capacity have been installed on various buildings with the objective of the university being self-reliant in generating the energy for meeting its power demand, he said .

Prof. Rai  said the University of Jammu has become the first University of the UT to start a Community Radio Station “91.2 FM DHWANI. 

Earlier, during the event, Prof. Prakash Antahal, Dean Students Welfare, delivered a warm welcome address. He shed light on the commendable initiatives spearheaded by the Department of Students Welfare, reflecting the university’s dedication to the holistic development of its students. He also informed about the new ventures of the Department of Students Welfare, which are being organized for the benefit of all the stakeholders of the university.

On the occasion, Prof. Rai also unveiled T-55 Tank, a War Trophy, presented by the Army to the University, which has proudly been placed with high reverence in the campus. The T-55 Tank was inducted into the Indian Army in 1960 and served the country with its tremendous services for 40 years. It will kindle motivation and inspiration among the youth.

After witnessing the vibrant cultural performances by the wards of university employees and students, the Vice Chancellor lauded the brilliant performance and congratulated the performers for their scintillating performances.

The Vice Chancellor complimented Prof. Anju Bhasin, Dean Academic Affairs, Prof. Meena Sharma, Dean Planning and Development, Prof. Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies, Prof. Prakash Antahal, Dean Students Welfare, Dr. Daud Iqbal Baba, Director, Sports & Physical Education, Prof. Piyush Malviya, HoD, EVS, Dr. Ginny Dogra, I/c Director, DIQA besides all other stakeholders of the University for making consistent efforts in their respective functional areas to achieve new milestones in the progress of the University.

Prominent amongst those who attended the Flag Hoisting Ceremony included Prof. Anju Bhasin (Dean Academic Affairs), Prof. Neelu Rohmetra (Dean Research Studies), Prof. Meena Sharma (Dean Planning), Prof. Rahul Gupta (Registrar), Prof. Rajeev Rattan Sharma, (Director CDC), Prof. Naresh Padha, Prof. Monika Sethi (Chairperson Campus Cultural Committee), Prof. Sarika Manhas (Co-Chairperson Campus Cultural Committee), Prof. Pankaj Srivastava (Director DD & OE) Deans, Rectors, Directors, members of Campus Cultural Committee, representatives of the elected bodies of the University, officers, staff, scholars and students of the University.

Those who presented colourful cultural items included Kavya Jandyal, Shiva, Jhanvi Thakur, Mohd. Javed, Vishali Devi, Urvashi, Shreyadita Jamwal & Mohd. Asif

Prof. Monika Sethi presented the vote of thanks and Prof. Sarika Manhas read the citation about the T-55 Tank. The programme was conducted by Ifra Kak and Sumeet Sharma. The whole event was organized under the stewardship of Prof. Prakash Antahal and was monitored by Prof. Monika Sethi, Dr. Sarika Manhas, Dr. Pritam Singh (Associate Dean SW), Dr. Garima Gupta (Assistant Dean SW), Dr. Shallu Sharma and Dr. A. R. Manhas (Dy. Proctors), Ms Mansi Mantoo (Officer Incharge, SW), Capt. S.R. Dubey (Chief Security Officer) Mr. Sumeet Sharma (Drama Instructor) & Ms. Ifra Kak (Cultural Officer). The management was looked after by Kulbhushan Thakur, Balwant Singh, Arif Paul. Sachin Sharma & R.P. Singh. 
—