RGU geared up for Covid-19 challenges

ITANAGAR, Apr 4: Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) Vice-Chancellor, Prof Saket Kushwaha, who along with the pro-vice-chancellor and the registrar attended a video conference with the union HRD minister on Saturday, informed that the RGU administration is trying to meet all the necessities of the university fraternity and has provided sanitizers prepared by its chemistry department to the varsity’s staff, besides supplying it to the state government free of cost.
He also informed that the university’s ‘Covid-19 task force monitoring committee’ is functioning strongly with the Dean of Student Welfare, Prof Sumpam Tangjang, as its chairman.
“All the statutory officers, other high ranked officers and officials are in the campus and attending to the office as per need and urgency while maintaining protocols of social distancing,” Prof Kushwaha said.
He said RGU is in close contact with the governor, who is also the chief rector of RGU, and the chief minister in its fight against Covid-19.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof Amitava Mitra, informed that RGU is “one among the select universities shortlisted for the project which were finally selected in Atal Community and Innovation Centre after attending a video conference of Niti Aayog on 30 March.”
He said the university is “exploring to study the practical relevance of traditional knowledge to fight against Covid-19.”
Registrar, Prof Tomo Riba, informed that “RGU as a family has voluntarily decided to contribute one day’s salary of all the regular teaching and non-teaching staff for the month of April as a support towards combating the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
RGU has also arranged accommodation for 30 doctors in the university’s guest house, at the request of the state government, to deal with any emergency situation.
The university has also made provision for people who are suffering from mental stress by roping in the voluntary consultative services of the psychiatrists at TRIHMS, Naharlagun, and faculty members from the university’s psychology and social work departments.
Joint Registrar (Academic & Conference), Dr David Pertin, informed that the non-NET fellowships for all the eligible MPhil students and PhD scholars for the month of March was released on Saturday, “barring the students from the department of zoology, for want of absentee statements.”
Other national fellowships, such as of the UGC, INSPIRE, DBT, CSIR, etc, shall be released as and when the funding agencies release the fund, and as per the availability of fund in due course, he said.
Dr Pertin informed that the university is also providing various e-learning tools.
“As the materials, along with class notes, are being sent to students through emails, and as many are engaged in various app-based classes, almost 60 percent of the students are linked with e-resources,” he added.