M A I N   N E W S

Governors’ meet begins today
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 10
President Pranab Mukherjee will preside over the two-day Conference of Governors starting tomorrow, the first such exercise after he assumed office. The conference is expected to focus on issues of security, development and human resource development, especially education.

Thirty Governors and Lt Governors of states and Union Territories will attend the conference which will also be attended by the Prime Minister, union ministers of Defence, Finance, Agriculture, Home Affairs, Human Resource Development, Urban Development and Water Resources, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Chairman of UIDAI will also participate in the deliberations, a Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesman said.

At the last week's conference of universities, among the recommendations to bring these institutions on par with the top was the freedom to recruit short-term faculty from India and abroad at various levels as well as institutions of post-doctoral positions with relaxation in terms of experience, in the case of outstanding scholars for recruitment purposes.

In order to extend reach of education, the conference recommended that each of the 40 universities connect itself with the community and create a consortium of stakeholders and also nurture and develop traditional knowledge and skills.

Among the recommendations was to reach out to discover and prepare a directory of innovators, project and facilitate grass root innovators and help them with production and protection of property rights. These issues are expected to be highlighted during the session pertaining to human resources development.

At that conference, the President called upon the Vice Chancellors and the ministry concerned to try and fill vacancies to faculty positions within six months to the best extent possible and assured that vacancies of visitor’s nominees would also be filled in three to six months.