The Ministry of Education, Government of India, has appointed Dr Shailendra Raj Mehta, President and Director, MICA, Ahmedabad, as a member of the Mission High- Level Committee (MHLC) of the Indian Knowledge System. On December 10, the Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, chaired a mission high-level committee of IKS to discuss the plan of action for the coming year.
The MHLC will provide overall guidance for the policy framework for the Indian Knowledge System’s functioning, facilitate intra-MoE and inter-ministerial coordination, approve the implementation committee’s recommendations and decisions, and identify financial resources and plan action and deliverables.
The MHLC, constituted by the Ministry of Education, is headed by the Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and includes Prof Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor as the Chairman; Padma Bhushan Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation as the Co-Chair, A B Shukla, Chief Coordinator, IKS, MoE as member secretary; and Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE; Padma Shri Chamu Krishna Shastri, Sanskrit Promotion Foundation; Dr Shashibala, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan; Prof Kapil Kapoor, Chairman, Indian Institute of Advanced Study as members.
Soon after the virtual meeting, the Union Education Minister on Twitter, said: “I chaired the Mission High-Level Committee of Indian Knowledge Systems.” Dr Mehta said, “As is well known, there is a large volume of manuscripts, records, texts, epigraphs, and archaeological evidence available in Indian Knowledge Systems. Yet, most of this knowledge lies unanalysed in various repositories or even underground, as in archaeological evidence. Over the years, many groups around the world have continued to work on these materials.”
Adding to it, he said, “There is a need to bring all this knowledge together and do this in an open, transparent, and inclusive way. The latest digital technologies and open-source software must be used wherever possible. This knowledge must be identified, collected, collated, documented, analysed, and published using the highest scholarly standards. Further, these resources need to be made available for research teaching and application. To assume global thought leadership, India needs first to be aware of the best of what it has thought and written over the centuries. The time for it is now.”