The Campaign Launch of the Chanakya Fellowship Programme was held at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, a place of historical and institutional eminence.
The chief guest of the programme, Prof D K Srivastava, Vice Chairman, UGC, emphasizing the need for social sciences in learning and problem-solving in the 21st century, said, “Social Science in the 21st century provides the opportunity to solve real word problems. For instance, the application of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in social science is critical for implementing SDGs in the developing world.” He underscored the significance of the Chanakya fellowship programme for providing opportunities for applied learning to young and aspiring minds”.
The Guest of Honour, Prof. Mrs. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities and Member, Chanakya Fellowship Advisory Council, highlighted “NEP 2020 has opened up new avenues for starting undergraduate degrees in social sciences and fellowship programmes like the Chanakya Fellowship in social sciences will provide the needed impetus for mainstreaming critical and creative thinking, which is the need of the hour for refreshing developments to occur in social sciences”.
Prof Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Science Research, remarked that “Social sciences as a discipline is a western construct. There is an urgent need to deconstruct the same from the perspective of local concepts. I am sure the Chankaya Fellowship programme would provide a platform to highlight its significance rooted in the idea of Indian ethos”.
