AAO-JNU to create a dedicated Alumni Endowment Fund to achieve financial self-sufficiency: Prof. Ravikesh
NEW DELHI. In its third webinar lecture series under the recently launched initiative “Global Alumni Connect”, the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Alumni Affair Office (AAO-JNU) invited the JNU alumni and students from across the world.
In his welcome speech, the chairperson of the Alumni Affair Office (AAO), Prof. Ravikesh presented the vision of AAO-JNU in light of the recent announcement of the Vice-Chancellor Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar to create a dedicated Alumni endowment fund to achieve financial self-sufficiency.
He emphasized on the need of having academic engagements with its distinguished alumni to have an insight on topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
Dr. Praveen Verma (NIPGR, New Delhi), the convener of the 3rd ‘Global Alumni Connect Lecture’ Series spoke about the stimulus package announced by the government of India and its impact on the Indian economy.
The panel had two eminent speakers from Australia, Dr. Ashutosh Mishra, CEO, Institute for Australia India Engagement, Queensland, Australia, and Dr. Priyabrata Priyo, Consulting Advisor AML/CTF- AUSTRAC, Australia.
The first speaker of the session, Dr. Priyabrata Priyo presented a detailed analysis of the COVID- 19 outbreak in China which started affecting the world health and economy from the beginning of this year.
While emphasizing on the details of how COVID-19 became a pandemic, Dr. Priyabrata Priyo drew an analogy between the outbreak of Covid-19 and SARS in China. He mentioned that the countries would negotiate trade policy and rethink about sharing trade borders, in order to prevent a similar catastrophe in the near future.
Dr. Priyabrata Priyo said, “The countries will now consider having a nationalist economy as against globalization.” He appreciated PM Modi’s initiative to give a massive stimulus package which was necessary to keep people engaged in the economy and sustain the crisis. Dr. Priyabrata Priyo also drew commonalities between Modi’s ‘atmanirbhar’ policy and Gandhi’s Swadeshi movement.
Under the title, “Vasudhaiva Katumbakam: India’s ‘Glocal’ Response to COVID-19”, the second speaker of the session Dr. Ashutosh Mishra spoke about India’s quintessential response to the pandemic and it’s initiative to help the other countries.
He said that Australia and other countries have been appreciating India’s response to COVID-19 and its initiative to export anti-malarial drugs, Hydroxychloroquine to rest of the world, when western medical science became a ‘lingering epicenter’ and failed to deal with the pandemic. He also appreciated India’s initiative to coordinator between the Indo-Pacific and SAARC countries regarding economic issues.
Quoting Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s response to PM Modi’s foresight regarding the pandemic, Dr. Ashutosh Mishra mentioned that India’s decision of closing the land border trade in March helped the country to keep the COVID-19 outbreak under check. Quoting Fareed Zakaria’s, Dr.Mishra mentioned that ‘credibility and trust’ is needed by the leader during the time of crisis. Thus the initiative like “9 PM, 9Mins” was necessary to win over the confidence of India’s diverse population.
The session was followed with the questions related to the implantation of India’s massive stimulus package, initiatives are taken by the government to boost the allowing economy, and the World’s investigation against China’s lapse in handling the outbreak of Covid-19. During the deliberations, it was agreed to work collectively to promote the India-Australia relationship to a higher level.
To start with, it was decided to initiate a few steps like engaging the scholars of both the countries with the help of JNU alumni for a meaningful dialogue on the various relevant subject of mutual interest, starting an agreement of Cooperation with the premier institution of Australia with JNU. With vibrant discussions on the future roadmap of the Alumni Affairs Office, JNU, the session was concluded with Vote of thanks by Prof. Ravikesh, the Chairperson, AOO, JNU.
