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T. T. Water Supply Shut Down on 18th June

Chandigarh registers for the India Cycles4Change Challenge

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Chandigarh, July 30:- Chandigarh is one of the 95 cities to have registered for the India Cycles4Change Challenge, an initiative of Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. The India programme of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) is the knowledge partner of the Smart Cities Mission in conducting this challenge and guiding cities through it.

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While sharing information regarding the challenge, Sh. K.K. Yadav, IAS, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Chandigarh-cum-CEO, Chandigarh Smart City Ltd. said here today that through this challenge, the registered cities will implement quick interventions to create a safe and cycling-friendly city. To ensure this transformation, Chandigarh is committed to working with its citizens as it develops and implements the proposals. Community engagement is a key component of the initiative, and with the support of citizens this programme will be a success. The City Beautiful, Chandigarh envision citizens to participate in its effort to achieve zero-carbon mobility.

The Commissioner said that the motto of the programme is ‘Pedal your Bicycles and ride towards your good health.’ He said that the India Cycles4Change Challenge was announced recently, by Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), MoHUA at the 5th Anniversary Celebrations of the Smart Cities Mission.

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He said that it aims to inspire and support the cities to implement quick cycling-friendly initiatives in response to COVID-19. The Challenge will run in two stages. Stage 1 will run until October, where cities will pilot initiatives such as pop-up cycle lanes, host public consultations, conduct surveys and hold campaigns to promote cycling, which will help develop a scale-up strategy. Based on the pilots and the city-wide proposals submitted, 11 cities will be shortlisted in October for stage 2. In this stage, they will be awarded Rs. 1 Crore and will be guided by national and international exports to scale-up the initiatives. This stage will extend till May 2021.

During the course of the Challenge, cities will be guided through online workshops, technical knowledge material and peer-to-peer learning discussions with fellow cities. This will help cities to strategize and implement pilots, while also developing their scale-up proposal.

He said that “The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for cities to reinvent themselves. Cycling offers us a healthy, affordable and COVID-safe solution for a green recovery. Through this challenge, cities will have to create a shared vision with their citizens. Every citizen should come together to ignite a cycling transformation in Chandigarh.”

He said that interested citizens can volunteer/Mobilize volunteers for the initiatives, spread the word through social networks and may sponsor or bring in sponsors.

The Commissioner said thatChandigarh has already attended workshop 1 of the Challenge that focused on the technical, community engagement and communications components of cycling initiatives. Now the city has rolled out a survey to understand citizens’ perception of cycling. The survey aims to identify the barriers to cycling in Chandigarh and inform the design process. The city urges all the consultants, corporates or concerned citizens to support the city in Cycles4Change Challenge by filling in survey form using the link https://forms.gle/6L4hDySrzHEz7btH9.

T. T. Water Supply Shut Down on 18th June

SAIF/CIL PU launches Currency Notes Sanitization Device

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Chandigarh July 28, 2020

In the series of design and development of various sanitization devices,  SAIF/CIL department, Panjab University has developed  yet another project to disinfect currency notes and cheques. Professor Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University launched the device which works on Thermal and UV-C disinfection technology which sanitizes the currency note in a very short duration of time.  

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Prof. G R Chaudhary revealed that the department has developed several more projects to fight the pandemic. Prof Raj kumar  congratulated Prof. Chaudhary and his team who are making  efforts for the benefit of society in this tough time. 

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Dr. Ramesh Sharma, who designed and developed this device told that idea of this device was conceived by Mr. Navtej Singh   and it was fabricated by Mr. Dinesh Sharma. Dr. Sharma further said that he has also designed a system to disinfect central air-conditioned plants and it will be fabricated soon. 

Prof Chaudhary  informed that he and his team is working on two more advanced projects which will be beneficial for society in the long run. Professor Raj Kumar was pleased to know about various projects taken up by SAIF and CIL in addition to the routine  sophisticated analytical facilities   provided by centres throughout the country. 

Prof. R.K Singla DUI, Prof. V R Sinha Dean Research, Prof. Devinder Singh, Prof Harish Kumar and Prof. Ashwani kaul,CUS were present along with other faculty members at the time of launch. 

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Special Webinar to commemorate “Kargil Vijay Diwas” at Panjab University.

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Chandigarh July 27, 2020

The Department of Defence and National Security Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, in collaboration with the Department of Police Administration, Department of Sports and NCC Wing, Panjab University organised a special webinar to commemorate the 21 years of the Indian Military Victory in the Kargil Conflict (Kargil Vijay Diwas). The Main Speaker was Major General Amarjit Singh, VSM.

The General, who has had a long illustrious career in the Indian Army has served in various important command, staff and instructional appointments including as MGGS (RED FOR) at Army Training Command, Shimla and has commanded an Armoured Brigade in the Strike Corps and a Mountain Division in the Northern Command. He began his lecture by explaining the causes behind the Kargil War. When the Simla Agreement was signed after the 1971 Indo-Pak War, it was decided to draw a       line between the areas held by Indian and Pakistani Military in Jammu and Kashmir. This line was called the Line of Control. This line was drawn upto a point called NJ 9842 which is the base of the Siachen Glacier. The Glacier, due to its adverse topographical and weather conditions, was not considered suitable for military deployment by both sides. There was later a dispute on how this line line should be drawn beyond point NJ 9842, Pakistan claimed that the line must go eastwards upto the Karakoram Pass, while India claimed that the line must go northwards from point NJ 9842. This became a major disagreement between the two countries. And from the 1980 onwards both nations started sending recce patrols in Siachen.

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While buying special clothing for high altitude from Switzerland, the Indian team learnt about a Pakistani team doing similar purchases for their troops. On learning this, India made a very smart strategic move and occupied the Siachen Glacier. This led to the Siachen Conflict of 1984 which India won. At that time, there was a young Pak Brigadier posted there, General (then Brig) Parvez Musharraf. The Pakistanis then made a plan to regain Siachen Glacier by launching a counter attack in Drass and Kargil. This was aimed at interdicting the Leh-Srinagar National Highway so that the logistics supply line to Siachen could be choked. This plan could not be implemented then. Then in 1998, Pakistan made a plan called Operation Badr, in which they attempted to claim that there are a large amount of insurgents in India and these people have now occupied heights on the Indian side of the LC overlooking the national highway.

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He then described the two road links which connect the Union Territory of Ladakh with the rest of India and the various challenges faced in sustaining the troops deployed in that region. He also discussed in detail the weather and topography of the region. He then explained the various phases of fighting and the Indian strategy in this conflict, which led to the successful eviction of Pak intruders from our side of the LC. He also spoke about the Kargil Review Committee and it’s various Task-Forces and their mandates. He later discussed in detail the various recommendations of the committee including the formation of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He then discussed the National Security consciousness of Indians citing a few historical examples and emphasised on the need to spread awareness amongst the masses so that they can develop a better understanding of National Security Issues.

Dr. Jaskaran Singh Waraich, Chairperson, Department Defence and National Security Studies, introduced the theme as well as the speaker to the audience. He also highlighted the fact that the study of the Kargil Conflict is a formal part of the curriculum of the master’s programme in the department.

The webinar ended with a questions and answers session followed by vote of thanks. It was attended by various faculty members, serving and retired armed forces officers pursuing courses in the department, research scholars, NCC cadets and students.

T. T. Water Supply Shut Down on 18th June

” Empowered Women Makes Self-Reliant Nation” — Smriti Zubin Irani at a Webinar by PU

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Chandigarh July 26, 2020

“The vision of a Self-Reliant India is not possible without an empowered womanhood”, said  Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development, GOI while addressing a webinar on the theme of ‘The Resolve of Self-Reliant India: Decisive Role of Women Empowerment in its Attainment’ , organized by the Department of History and Interdisciplinary Centre for Swami Vivekananda Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh on July 25, 2020. 

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She   delved that in present times, Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan Yojana has played an instrumental role in empowering women as out of the 38 crores new bank accounts opened, 20 crore accounts were in the name of women. This access to bank accounts has fulfilled the task of becoming a fundamental financial tool which has gone a long way towards empowering women. Further, in Mudra Yojana, over 75 per cent beneficiaries of the scheme have been women. Though the schemes have given empowerment to millions of women yet the government is committed to bring cent per cent results. The Hon’ble Minister also spoke of how the Skill diversification and upgradation can help women achieve success. There is the need to involve larger numbers of girl children in pursuing Technology, Science, Maths and Research. Smt. Irani hailed Technology as an instrumental vehicle to bring everyone culturally closer. She pointed out that the pandemic has forced us to introspect and go back to basics like our cultural ways of boosting immunity and disease resistance.

Smt. Smriti Irani stressed that Indian society must revert back to Indian way of thinking in which an Indian woman, in contrast to western construct, was not a mere object or a person in servitude but an equal partner who participated in debates and wrote treaties. She may be seen as one who fed the starved and also fought with bravery while having her son tied to her back. Smt. Irani spoke of ‘Access to capital’ and ‘Access to skill’ as the two areas where women need to be encouraged. In traditional households, she remarked that a business venture by a male would attract capital even by sale of personal jewellery by women of the family. However, women’s efforts would fail to yield the same response.  

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Padam Shri Smt. Malini Awasthi, Professor and Folk Singer, delved on the cultural contexts in her talk. She highlighted the fact that Indian cultural values were carried forward through millions of grand-mothers and mothers who taught the values of valour, service to the society and motherland through folk singing. She spoke of how important it was to change the thrust of the cultural narrative which has always been against women. When she started her folk singing, there were commonly heard songs focusing on only cosmetics, the pains and troubles of womanhood, reliance of women on men etc. She unearthed many songs which spoke of women empowerment and their active contributions in larger domains. She talked of the local folk songs of UP, but she has discovered a lot of pain in the folk songs. Songs were either limited to exploitation, social discrimination or demanding personal products like cosmetics etc. Women are empowered today but the need of the hour is to change the mindset of the men in particular and the people in general. Smt Malini Awasthi appreciated the Prime Minister’s initiative of ‘Vocal for Local’ which has put this issue in the forefront and in the centre stage. She shared her experiences while working with rural women all around the country. The rural economy is full of examples and even the data supports the fact that women are the active and major contributors in every sphere of rural economic and social life. She spoke of how skill diversification in arenas’ such as agro-processing and crafts can really help in transformation of the rural landscape.

Smt. Anar Patel, a distinguished Social Worker and the founder of  Social NGO,Gramshree  highlighted, how guided, with the vision of self-empowerment, she has witnessed the efficiency and adaptability of women at the ground level and how simple ventures have yielded significant results and generation of capital for the people on the ground. 

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Raj Kumar in his address, highly appreciated  the gracious initiative of the Honourable Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani for gracing the webinar, and spared her valuable time in sharing her words of wisdom. He welcomed the Guests of Honour, Padam Shri Smt. Malini Awasthi and Smt. Anar Patel as well as all the participants. He considered the three lady panelists to be blessed by Mother Goddess herself as they have made significant contributions in the service of their motherland. Prof. Raj Kumar expounded on the increasing but eternal importance of women empowerment in any society if it is to thrive. He spoke of how Women have always been able to seamlessly manage multiple responsibilities and challenges and work effectively to keep their homes, families, communities and society well-integrated and well-organised. He appreciated and applauded the persistent efforts of the Department of History and Interdisciplinary Centre for Swami Vivekananda Studies in organizing Webinars and Web Lectures at challenging times like these which also present unique opportunities.

Dr. Anju Suri, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of History introduced the theme and moderated the proceedings. In her welcome address, she expressed the profound joy and pride at the presence of eminent personalities and the Hon’ble Minister, Smt. Smriti Irani for interacting with students, faculty members and researchers all over the country from the platform of the Panjab University. Professor Anju Suri also expressed her elation at the Guests of Honour, Smt. Malini Awasthi and Smt. Anar Patel who lent their illustrious presence to the webinar.

The webinar  was attended by 580 participants and luminaries from across the country. The webinar was remarkable for the quality of information, pertinence of the various viewpoints which were put forward by the distinguished speakers, its comprehensive nature, cross disciplinary and strongly culturally rooted bearings and extremely informative deliverables.  The highly incisive and comprehensive webinar was followed by a Session of Queries and Observations conducted by Dr. Vishal Sharma. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Professor Renu Thakur, Coordinator, ICSVS who expressed gratitude to the eminent speakers as well as the academicians, scientists, researchers, students and faculty members from many departments and Universities across India who joined the webinar. 

T. T. Water Supply Shut Down on 18th June

Ways to Make India Jagadguru Discussed at PU

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Chandigarh July 26, 2020

Using the climate change crisis as an opportunity, India can rise to become world leader, said Sai Vaidyanathan, speaker at a webinar organised by Chandigarh Vigyan Parishad and the Panjab University Chandigarh chapter of Panchnad Research Institute today.

The topic of the meet was  *’Aise Banega Bharat Jagadguru’ (Ways to make India Jagadguru).*

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Prof BK Kuthiala, Director, Panchnad Research Institute, and Dr KS Arya, National President, Panchnad Research Institute, attended the webinar.

The speaker, who is an author and a journalist, recounted many of India’s strengths in the past and enlisted ways in which those could be used to deal with the global warming crisis in the future.

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If due to climate change, development can no longer take place through the normal fuel/ electricity-consuming route, then at that time, the revival of Indian culture can give added impetus to the economy and generate jobs for the country’s youth.

Vaidyanathan spoke on the need to redesign our cities in a changing environment and to enhance digital technology so that the need for using petrol/diesel transportation goes down.

To avert the upcoming global crisis, the speaker emphasised on changing the outlook of this outward-looking world which has become highly materialistic. In making the world look inward, India’s yoga and meditation could prove to be of great help, he said.

Finally, the speaker exhorted the audience to  contribute their might in helping India regain the number one spot that she enjoyed just 300 years ago.

 Around 50 people  attended the webinar. Prof. S K Tomar, President of both the organizations ( CVP and PRI Study Center, PU, chd) thanked the speaker and attendees.

T. T. Water Supply Shut Down on 18th June

UIPS ,PU Webinar on “4Ds of Life – Strategies to Accomplish Dreams”

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Chandigarh July 25, 2020

University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) organized an international webinar for the students on “4Ds of Life – Strategies to Accomplish Dreams” under the Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Career (IEC) Series of MHRD Institution’s Innovation Council and Placement Cell of the UIPS, by one of their well-placed alumnus, Dr Mukesh Kumar Mahajan, Manager and US Head, Discovery In Vitro DMPK, GlaxoSmithKline, USA.

 Dr Mahajan shared his life journey where he successfully applied the 4Ds to accomplish his dream for higher education in USA and how he is currently applying these 4Ds to assist people in excelling in their lives at all levels. The 4Ds, which need to be well placed in  lives to fulfil their dreams, are: We need to have burning desire (D1), to make decision (D2), keep ourselves disciplined (D3) and have unwavering determination (D4). Dr Mukesh held a very interactive Q&A session at the end. 

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Professor Indu Pal Kaur, Chairperson UIPS & President IEC and Head Placement Cell of UIPS, welcomed the audience and introduced the Chief Guest and the Speaker. 

Professor Karamjeet Singh, Registrar, Panjab University, Chandigarh, inaugurated the webinar and urged the young minds to imbibe all these four motivational principles for holistic success in life.

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All the faculty members of UIPS joined the session. More than 150 participants from Panjab University and other National and International Institutes attended the webinar. 

Dr Mukesh Mahajan is a Scientist, an established Leader in his field and a Coach, Trainer and Motivational Speaker of John Maxwell Team. Dr Mahajan earned his Bachelor in Pharmacy from UIPS, Panjab University in 2000 and then went to US to pursue his dream for higher education and professional accomplishments. 

To fulfill his calling in assisting people and helping them to excel at personal and professional level, Dr Mahajan has joined John Maxwell group, the world’s #1 organization in the field of leadership, coaching, training and public speaking. During COVID-19 pandemic, he has been sharing motivational wisdom, which he gained over the last couple of decades, with global community to navigate through these challenging times.

T. T. Water Supply Shut Down on 18th June

Web lecture by Uday Mahurkar at PU

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Chandigarh

Department of History, PU, Chandigarh and Panjab University Alumni Association (PUAA) jointly organized a Web Lecture of Shri Uday Mahurkar, a senior journalist, author and interpreter of history.About120participants participated in the web lecture .

Shri Mahurkar, the distinguished speakerdelivered his lecture on, “Chattrapati Shivaji: A New Discovery”in an analytical and thought-provoking manner.His candid, comprehensive and critical presentation was indeed spell-binding. Professor Anju Suri, Chairperson, Department of History was the Director of the Webinar, Professor Deepti Gupta, Dean Alumni Relations and Chairperson, Department of English was the Convener and Dr. Priyatosh Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of History was the Co-Convener of the Webinar.

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TheVice Chancellor, Prof Raj Kumar applauded the joint effort of the Department of History and PUAA for organizing the Web Lecture on an endearing historical personality of Shivaji. In his inaugural remarks, he said that great deeds make great personalities like Shivaji. Chattrapati Shivaji’s life and achievements impart inspiration to one and all. His leadership role, his organizational skills, his courageous military exploits earned him the reputation of a great ruler and won him glory. The spirit of nationalism may be imbibed from the heroic deeds of Chattrapati Shivaji.The present generation must preserve the memories of the great leader in Shivaji and pay tribute to his daring acts in fighting back Mughal tyranny. Professor Raj Kumar expressed his concern that the role of Shivaji must be discussed at length in the scholarly works to form a fair estimate of his life and personality.

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Dr. Anju Suri, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of History introduced Chattrapati Shivaji as a powerful ruler known for his chivalry, courage and heroism. He set out for military campaigns with a strong conviction and determination to win and he tasted victory after victory to establish himself as a strong ruler. He possessed a rare combination of intellect and diplomacy. His role as a great organizer and a strategist cannot be underestimated.

The distinguished speaker, Shri Uday Mahurkar in his insightful and intellectual lecture addressed Shivaji as an Emperor instead of Chattrapati. He assessed the role of Shivaji on the basis of four determinants, which are generally required by a person, for being the most powerful Emperor and Shivaji qualifies all of them successfully. Shivaji expanded his empire by way of his conquering abilities to the length of 1600 kms from Poona to the land beyond Chennai. His strategic skills and command of his army instilled such enthusiasm among his soldiers that they continued with the legacy of successive victories during the lifetime of Shivaji and even after his death. Within forty years since his demise, the Marathas reached Delhi and became a dominating force. Shivaji’s combating skills speak of his powerful personality. He strongly believed that the attack is the best form of defence. He was a diplomat par excellence and knew to play his cards well. He handled his Mughal enemies including Aurangzeb with diplomatic maneuvers and often made truce with them to break them soon after. Shivaji has always remained fearless before Aurangzeb whereas the latter was afraid of his strategic skills and intellectual abilities. Despite all resources and authority at his disposal, Aurangzeb was belittled by Shivaji in a combat pitted against him and this fact has been indicated by Aurangzeb in his will too. The historical records have praised Shivaji and addressed him as ‘the greatest constructive genius’. His warfare achievements are as much appreciated as his welfare achievements. Shivaji took up several measures for welfare of his subjects including the issue of seed loans by the State to the farmers. As far as his social reforms are concerned, Shivaji allowed those who had defected Hinduism to embrace Islam to come back to Hinduism.Secondly, he taught each class to fight. Dalit Regiment of Maharashtra could be organized because of this initiative of Shivaji. Shivaji should find more space in historical books and should be given higher status as an Emperor.

The highly informative and incisive lecture was followed by Question-Answer Session conducted by Dr. Priyatosh Sharma of the Department of History.The lecture was joined by experts from academic, scientists, researchers, students and faculty members from various diverse Departments and Universities across India. The lecture ended with the formal vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Vinay Kumar, Secretary, Faculty of Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

सरकार विधवा महिलाओं को स्वावलंबी बनाने के लिए दे रही ऋण 

Plantation Drive at PU

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Chandigarh July 24, 2020

The Horticulture Division,Panjab University organised a plantation today near UIET Workshop.100 plants of Lagerstomia donated by Sh. Jatin Salwan were planted along with plants of Ashoka and Chandni.The plantation had the presence of Prof. R.K. Singla, Dean of University Instructions as the Chief Guest . Prof. Karamjeet Singh, Registrar presided over the plantation. Prof. Parvinder Singh, Controller of Examinations was the Guest of Honour.

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Prof. Ashwani Koul, Chief of University Security and faculty members of Deptt. of Biotechnology, Ms.Renuka Salwan, Director Public Relations were among the attendees.

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Er. Anil Thakur, Divisional Engineer (Hort.) said on this occasion that the plantation drive of Horticulture Division carried out in the monsoon season is in full swing and various departments are participating enthusiastically in this drive. He further said that in pursuance of the initiative of Prof. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, the Horticulture Division is also carrying out the family plantation drive in the university in which a large number of residents are taking the initiative to plant the trees along with their family members.

सरकार विधवा महिलाओं को स्वावलंबी बनाने के लिए दे रही ऋण 

Webinar by UIFT,PU

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Chandigarh July 24, 2020

University Institute of Fashion Technology & Vocational Development (UIFT&VD), Panjab University, Chandigarh, conducted a Webinar titled –Design Process, Adaptation of Trends, Execution of Design Developments practiced in the industry (Export Oriented) today.

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Chairperson of UIFT&VD, Dr. Prabhdip Brar, gave an introductory note, welcoming the speaker, Mr. Chetan Chittauria who holds an experience of working with fashion design from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. His extensive field of expertise includes managing designs and developing products for Cecil, Zara, Cleo, American Rags, Pepe Jeans, Silver Jeans, Club Monaco, Kenneth Cole, River Island, Promod, Camaieu among others.  The speaker expressed design as the one that puts logic into art based on the objectives and socio-cultural factors of the customers. The talk spanned from sources of inspiration to visualization of the final sketch. Students were made aware of the importance of understanding customer psyche along with the know-how of how brands infuse their thoughts in the global forecast. It was an interactive session with abundant learning for students of fashion technology that would help them in their future entrepreneurial ventures as designers in the industry.

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 It was attended by more than 80 participants including faculty, research scholars and students of B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Fashion and Lifestyle Technology.

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Relevance of Digital Technology discussed at a Webinar in PU

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Chandigarh July 24, 2020

Department of History, Panjab University, Chandigarh organized today a Web Lecture by Prof. Divya Bansal, Dean Alumni, Corporate & International Affairs, Punjab Engineering College (deemed to be University) . The faculty and research scholars of social sciences and engineering departments of Panjab University and affiliated institutions, participated in the Web Lecture which continued for about 1.5 hours. 

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Prof. Divya Bansal, the distinguished speaker delivered her lecture on the theme, “Contribution of Digital Technology to Social Sciences and Its Relevance During the Present Pandemic” as a part of Series, “Pandemics Across Ages” initiated by Department of History in April, 2020 in a comprehensive and candid manner. Her detailed, fact-based and critical presentation on how digital technology has become an integral part of our social lives, especially in the present COVID era, was immensely informative. 

Professor Anju Suri, Chairperson, Department of History was the Director of the Webinar, Dr. Priyatosh Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of History was the Convener and Dr. Veenu Mangat, Associate Professor, UIET, was the Co-Convener of the Webinar.

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PU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Raj Kumar was the inspiration and driving force for conduct of this webinar. It was his encouragement that has led to this endeavour to connect the social sciences with the CRIKC institutes. The benefit of this collaboration is that in the future, it can lead to multidisciplinary research which utilizes the strengths and competencies of researchers from both areas, which will be more fruitful for the society. 

Professor Anju Suri, Chairperson welcomed the esteemed Speaker and the participants. In her introductory address, while underlining the purpose of organizing the Series, ‘Pandemics Across Ages’ by the Department, she said that it helps to sensitise the present generation to understand the causation of Pandemics and the huge devastation brought by them. This enables us to collect socio-political responses for our preparation to deal with the pandemics effectively. Prof Divya Bansal’s talk shall help to understand the usefulness and limitations of digital technology to the teaching and research in social sciences especially during Covid-19 and further enable us in responding to the pandemic. 

Dr. Veenu Mangat, Associate Professor at UIET, PU introduced the invited speaker Prof. Divya Bansal by highlighting her research achievements in terms of international collaborations and awards. Prof. Divya Bansal has been instrumental in ICT projects of the state police and drafting of policies related to information security. 

Prof. Divya Bansal, began her insightful talk by defining sociology as the study of society, patterns and behaviour. She then deliberated how technology plays a key role in each of these aspects. She asserted that digital technologies like other material cultural artefacts are part of human behaviour. 

She provided various examples to illustrate how technology can help in providing deeper understanding of various aspects of human behaviour. Nowadays, digital and mobile apps monitor and mediate almost all aspects of sociology ranging from our movements, likes, dislikes, spending habits, political opinions, personal preferences, interactions with relatives and friends, interactions with colleagues, communities we are a part of, etc. These pervasive technologies collect and analyze huge volumes of data for every individual. As an instance, a company like Google through its multitude of apps such as Maps, Wallet, YouTube, Contacts, Search, etc. can easily mine and integrate the data to build a comprehensive profile of each user including his personality, interactions, movements, behaviour, etc. Another example is of wearable devices such as Fitbit which collect health related information of users. Such information can aid pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare industry to study demographics and in diagnosis, prognosis, development of treatments, etc. But most of these technologies are privacy invasive. She touched upon how some database marketing companies sell user information to potential buyers. There should be strict laws in place to avoid misuse of users’ data. Prof. Divya beautifully expressed how sociology and technology are interrelated by saying that life is digital nowadays. Sociology should make the study of digital technologies central to its scope. She spoke about digital social research and digital traces being the behavioural traces. Prof. Divya later spoke about how in present COVID times, there is a compelling need to turn setbacks into comebacks. She discussed a few psycho-social issues that have arisen out of the present pandemic situation and how technology can be used to address them. This requires human factors in addition to tools provided by technology. She ended her lecture by saying that we should rediscover ourselves in this current period and be aware of both the pros and cons of digital technology. 

The highly informative and incisive lecture was followed by a Question-Answer Session conducted by Dr. Priyatosh Sharma of the Department of History. It was a vibrant session with participants engaging speakers to comment on issues like privacy, addiction to social media and need for human touch. The lecture ended with the formal vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Rani Mehta, Chairperson, Department of Sociology, Panjab University, Chandigarh.