India's higher educational institutions to make the most of the Covid lockdown

New Delhi: Even during the Covid pandemic and consequent lockdowns, various educational institutes such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and many other higher educational institutions were busy in world-class research and innovations. some used this time for devising new curriculums and setting up a new campus.

The IIT-Ropar has developed a device named 'Jeevan Vayu', which can be used as an alternative to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines. This is the first such device in the country that works without electricity and is optimized for both oxygen production units like oxygen cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals.

Meanwhile, IIT Delhi was doing preparations to establish the 'Energy Science and Engineering' department. This new undergraduate B. Tech programme in 'Energy Engineering' will be introduced this year. A Centre for Transport Research and Injury Prevention was also set up at IIT Delhi to do research in the field of road safety and modern road transport system. The institute aims to save hundreds of lives with this technology by reducing road accidents.

"The B. Tech Energy Engineering degree programme aims at making easy access to energy, supply quality and reliability as well as improving efficiency, de-carbonization and reducing the cost of energy supply." said K.A. Subramanian, Head of Centre for Energy Studies (CES), IIT Delhi.

IIM-Ahmedabad is starting the 'Ashank Desai Centre' for leadership and organizational development. Detailing the programme, Vishal Gupta, IIM-Ahmedabad lecturer, said, "The Ashank Desai Centre' aims to promote rigorous research and leadership and organizational development and research in the public, private and social sector. It also aims to create opportunities where faculty, practitioners and policymakers can come together."

At the same time, alumni of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and IIT have created a start-up that aims to impart training to the youth preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for entry into top medical colleges across India.

On the other hand, an IIT alumni is set to help those youths who want to appear for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for getting admission to top engineering colleges.

Apart from this, Gurugram-based NorthCap University (NCU) has tied up with the US's Arizona State University (ASU), as a part of Cintana Alliance under the New Education Policy (NEP) announced in 2020. Cintana is a network of leading universities around the world that helps develop high-quality educational programs to meet the economic needs of other countries.

Milind Padalkar, Pro-Chancellor, NCU, said, "This tripartite agreement will focus on education, research and digital transformation. This will greatly benefit NCU students, teachers and the entire Indian innovation ecosystem."