Now, more govt awards in God’s name

Hindu Gods are making a quiet entry into the awards and scholarships given by the government-run All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) that was set up for promotion of higher education in India. So far, the awards used to be instituted in the name of eminent scientists and engineers.

First came Goddess Laxmi in the form of Pradhan Mantri Laxmi Programme introduced last fiscal to provide scholarships to students of poor and middle class families to pursue technical education. Now, the AICTE in a joint collaboration with India's apex engineering body Engineering Council of India (ECI) is promoting “spirit of engineering and creation patronised by Lord Vishwakarma”, describing him as the ruling deity of construction practices in India.

The two bodies are jointly conducting competition for AICTE-ECI Awards for outstanding students and teachers of degree and diploma-level technical education institutions as well as to promote innovations of individuals. Nominations are invited for these awards latest by August 25.

The AICTE has also instituted the Clean Campus Award 2017, though without affixing the name of any God. The last date set for this award is September 8. The award is to recognise institutions that are doing a good job in waste management of various kinds to spur others into action.

The guidelines for the Vishwakarma Awards say there shall be three awards each in civil, electrical, mechanical, electronics, computer science an biotechnology streams and will be given to outstanding student engineers.

Similarly there will be three awards each to the teachers in these streams.There are also three outstanding institution awards to be given on the basis of the maximum number of awards won by their students and teachers.

First came Goddess Laxmi in the form of Pradhan Mantri Laxmi Programme introduced last fiscal to provide scholarships to students