The 59th All India Political Science Conference and International Seminar on “Global Rise of Incredible India” began on Saturday at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) where 783 delegates will be presenting research papers at the two-day-long event.
More than 1000 distinguished guests from across the country including 13 acting and former Vice-Chancellors of different universities, professors and scholars of political science attended the event which was held for the first time in Northeast India.
The two-day-long mega academic event has been jointly organized by the Indian Political Science Association (IPSA) and USTM.
The inaugural session of the conference began with the welcome address by Prof. Gauri Dutta Sharma, VC, USTM. Prof. Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, VC, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, and General Secretary and Treasurer IPSA then expressed his gratitude towards the USTM family and Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque for hosting the conference and presented the IPSA report.
This was followed by Prof. Jayant K. Mohapatra, former VC, Berhampur University, and Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanata, academic advisor to the government of Assam delivered their speeches as guests of honour.
Addressing the scholarly gathering, Prof. Santishree Pandit, President of IPSA and VC, JNU, New Delhi said that educational institutions require private participation like that of USTM.
“In India the concept of unity is the concept of diversity, the celebration of diversity is our cultural strength not our weakness. The rise of incredible India lies in ideas, in narratives of civilizations, the uniqueness of India as a civilization is assimilation”, she added.
The inaugural function of this prestigious conference was also addressed by Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM; Prof. R. Thandavan, former President IPSA and former VC, University of Madras.
After the announcement of various IPSA national awards, Dr. M. Nazeer Hussain, the local organizing secretary and HoD of political science, USTM delivered the vote of thanks.
The conclave also had a book exhibition, Prof. M S Chaturvedi Memorial Lecture, plenary on Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, symposium on Amrit Mahotsava of Indian independence as well as a cultural programme by USTM students showcasing the ethnic diversity of the north-eastern region.
The various parallel technical sessions in the seminar included ‘Democratic Governance in India’ chaired by Prof. Nisar-ul-Haque, Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; ‘Global Rise of India’ chaired by Prof. Jitendra Narayan, Dean, L.N. Mithila University; ‘Politica of Indian Diaspora’ chaired by Prof. Rabindra K. Satpathy, former Director, ICSSR Regional Centre, NEHU; ‘Current Debates in Indian Politics’ chaired by Prof. Bishnu Charan Choudhary, former Head, Department of Political Science, Berhampur University; ‘Post-Covid World Politics’ chaired by Prof. Manas Chakraborty, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, North Bengal University; ‘Regional Aspiration in National Politics’ chaired by Prof. Saroj J. Verma, former Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Jayaprakash University; ‘Contemporary Political Economy’ chaired by Prof. Raj Kumar Kothari, Head, Department of Political Science, Diamond Harbour Women’s University, West Bengal; ‘Amrit Mahotsav of Indian Independence’ chaired by Prof. Geetanjali Das, Dean, Fakir Mohan University, Odisha; ‘Challenges of Global terrorism’ chaired by Prof. P. Madurai Veeran, former Head, Anna Centre for Public Affairs, University of Madras; ‘Indian Idea of Political Thinking’ chaired by Prof. Rekha Saxena, University of Delhi; ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ chaired by Prof. R.S. Yadav, Kurukshetra University; ‘Political Dynamics of North East India’ chaired by Prof. Munmun Majumdar, Department of Political Science, NEHU.
Some of the distinguished participants of the Conference include, Prof. Sushma Yadav, former VC, Bhagat Phool Singh Women’s University; Prof. K. Jayaprasad, former Pro VC, Central University of Kerala, Prof. G. Gopal Reddy, Pro VC, Mahatma Gandhi Central University; Prof. ADN Vajpyaee, VC, Atal Bihari Vajpayee University, Bilaspur; Professor J.K. Mishra, Behrampur University; Prof. Manoj Dixit, Vice President IPSA and former VC, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya; Dr. Bhawna Sharma, Himachal Pradesh University; Prof. Sanjay Bharadwaj, Centre for South Asian Studies, JNU, New Delhi; Prof. Ram Singh Arah, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur; Prof. Rajneesh Kumar Shukla, VC, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha; Prof. G. Ram Reddy, Head, Department of Political Science, Central University of Andhra Pradesh, Anantapur; Prof. Shri Prakash Mani Tripathi, VC, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University; Prof. Mohan S. Kashikar, RTM Nagpur University; Sri J. Nanda Kumar, National Convenor, Prajna Pravah, New Delhi; Prof. G. Gopal Reddy, Pro VC, Mahatma Gandhi Central University; Prof. Koushal Kishor Mishra, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University; Prof. D. Ravinder, VC, Osmania University, Hyderabad; Prof. Kiran Hazarika, Member, University Grants Commission, Dibrugarh University; Prof. Jayant K. Sarmah, Assam University Silchar.
