Sruthi January -June : 2019 Volume - I Issue -1 Inside Vision Seminars/Conferences/Workshops To educate, to train, and to conduct research in • Environmental Pollution Monitoring and areas of knowledge that contribute to the nation’s knowledge-wealth production Remediation • Information Technology plays a key role in To be in constant quest for quality and excellence strengthening mechanisms in the field of higher education • Workshop on University – Industry Interaction To aim at the production of a human resource • Symposium on Plastic Pollution base that meets global manpower requirements • Land and River Pollutants and Industrial in frontier areas of knowledge Effluent are the Major Culprits in Adversely To train the youth in the values of secularism, Affecting the Marine Life. humanism, tolerance, ethical values and the • Recession and Demonetization are the Recent momentous tasks of the reconstruction of Shocks to the Growth of MSMES humanity • FDP on Experiential Learning - Gandhiji’s Nai Mission Talim To lead the students towards participating in the • One-Day Workshop on Healthy Food Trends nation’s socio-economic development with and Opportunities in Food Technology & Food competence and character by training them to Fest play a lead role in a knowledge society drawing MoUs upon the fruits of the Information and Communication Technology revolution • Memorandum of Understanding with To conduct teaching and research and address Millennium University, Malawi, Africa. issues in areas that reconcile national Vice Chancellor’s Visits developmental needs and regional priorities and resources Celebrations To promote and propagate innovative teaching • Babu Jagajeevan Ram Jayanthi and research programmers and create specialized • Dr B.R Ambedkar Jayanthi centers of learning / training • Annual Day Celebrations • World No Tobacco Day Chief Patron Awards Prof R Sudarsana Rao • VSU NSS Programme Coordinator conferred Vice- Chancellor with SEVA AWARD • PhD Awardees Patron Campus Recruitment Drive Prof Ande Prasad Registrar • Campus Placements • Field Visits • Achievements Editorial Board Prof KVSN Jawahar Babu UGC NET Qualified Prof G. Vijaya Anand Babu New Appointments Dr R Prabhakar Superannuation Editor Sports Corner Dr K Neela Mani Kanta Sruthi January -June : 2019 Volume - I Issue -1 1 Shri Biswabhusan Harichandan His Excellency Hon’ble Governer of Andhra Pradesh and Chancellor of Vikrama Simhapuri University Shri Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Audimulapu Suresh, Dr P Anil Kumar Yadav Shri Mekapati Goutham Reddy, Minister for Education, Hon’ble Minster for Irrigation Minister for Industries, Commerce, (Water Resources) and Information Technology Government of Andhra Pradesh Sruthi January -June : 2019 Volume - I Issue -1 2 VSU Community congratulates all the Hon’ble Ministers, MPs and MLAs of SPSR Nellore Dist on their success in the 2019 elections Shri Balli Durga Prasad, Shri Adala Prabhakar Reddy, Member of Parliament (Tirupathi) Member of Parliament (Nellore) Shri Kakani Govardhan Reddy, Shri Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy Sarvepalli Constituency Nellore Rural Constituency Shri Varaprasad Rao Velagapalli Shri Kiliveti Sanjeevaiah Gudur Constituency Sullurpeta Constituency Shri Anam Ramanarayana Reddy Shri Nallapareddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy Venkatagiri Constituency Kovur Constituency Shri Mekapati Chandra Sekhar Reddy Shri Ramireddy Pratap Kumar Reddy Udayagiri Constituency Kavali Constituency Sruthi January -June : 2019 Volume - I Issue -1 3 From the Vice-Chancellor’s Desk It gives me immense pleasure to present the January – June, 2019 edition of the News Letter ‘Shruti’ published by Vikrama Simhapuri University, after a long gap. Higher Education in India was pursued by only a few elite and rich families for a long time in India even after the advent of Five Year Plans. But the objectives of National Knowledge Commission clearly states that higher education has to be expanded and needed to be accessible to a large number of people especially in rural areas and to the disadvantaged communities to realise the cherished goal of equity. Subsequently, new Universities were established in Andhra Pradesh then by Chief Minister, Late Dr Y S Raja Sekhar Reddy to cater to local and regional needs. Vikrama Simhapuri University is one such University established in Nellore in 2008. In fact, higher education has undergone a sea change in recent decades in several countries, and India cannot be an exception. Consequently, the number of Universities and Colleges and also the enrolment of students have increased substantially as evident from the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER). It has been increased from 19 per cent in 2010-11 to 26 per cent by 2017-18 and has been targeted to increase to 30 per cent by 2020. But it is pertinent to note that mere increase in GER and the number of Universities will not help in achieving the desired goals of higher education. Universities should act as agents in bringing social change and transformation. In the post-globalisation era the conventional scope of academic and the pedagogy need to be redefined and recast to the changing times and to sharpen the skills of students to make them readily employable. This feature is missing in the present scenario of higher education in India. Vikrama Simhapuri University today has overcome from its initial hiccups and set to move forward at a greater pace to realise the objectives for which it was established. Notwithstanding the space and resource constraints, it has been striving to achieve excellence in teaching and research. The progressive improvement in enrolment and placement of students over the last couple of years stands testimony to the fact that the University is moving forward on the right track and poised for making greater strides of progress in the near future. Our education system needs to incorporate and integrate the skill development ecosystem in order to realize the maximum advantage of our demographic divided. Both union and the state governments have been making several initiatives to train the students both on and off the campus. To take advantage of these initiatives, especially of APSSDC, the University has been putting its best efforts to increase the employability of the students by organising skill development programmes through the Skill Development Centre. The Centre for Extension Activities in association with the NSS Unit has been organising several University - Community programmes and socially relevant and useful programmes like blood donation camps, plantation, and health checkups besides awareness programmes involving students, faculty and staff. I am happy to note that all the Sruthi January -June : 2019 Volume - I Issue -1 4 stakeholders of the University are working hard to make the University vibrant to achieve the objective of excellence in teaching and research. I have no hesitation to state that the University has the necessary potential to emerge as one of the best higher learning institutions in Andhra Pradesh within a period of less than a decade. All the UG, PG and Professional affiliated colleges are a very important segment of the University system. University and the affiliated colleges should work together and function in a coordinated way so that students’ welfare is maximised. The seeds of innovation, communication and computer skills of students are to be sown and nurtured at an early stage and colleges have a crucial role to play in this regard. I appeal to all the colleges to come along with the University not only with regard to the academic programmes but also in organizing extension and outreach activities which are designed in line with the vision and guidance of his Excellency the Governor and Chancellor of the University and of our Hon’ble Chief Minister and Minister for Education of Andhra Pradesh. Then only we will be providing an enabling environment to enhance the employability and maximise the welfare of the students in the territorial jurisdiction of Vikrama Simhapuri University. PROF. ROKKAM SUDARSANA RAO Sruthi January -June : 2019 Volume - I Issue -1 5 SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS/ SYMPOSIA these schemes to the needy. He further stated that due to the continuous efforts of Govt., year-by-year the Environmental Pollution Monitoring and percentage of poor has declined over the years Remediation Prof. D. Himachalam, the Keynote Speaker, Senior The Chief Guest of the Conference Prof. Fellow & Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Commerce R. Sudarsana Rao, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Vikrama S.V. University, Tirupati gave a comprehensive view Simhapuri University, Nellore addressed the on Employment Generation and Poverty Alleviation gathering. Prof. C.R. Visweswara Rao, founder Vice- schemes in India. Chancellor, Vikrama Simhapuri University, Nellore and the Distinguished Guest summarized “Global He opined that technology enables gradual warming and its consequences”. Another keynote reduction of poverty due to various programmes of speaker, Dr. A.V. Ramana Reddy, Senior Scientist, the states as well as that of centre. BARC, Mumbai discussed “Analytical methods to determine trace and ultra trace level of pollution in various matrices”. The air, water and other pollutions need to be monitored continuously by the Pollution Control Board and the people themselves should play a pro-active role in eradicating environmental pollution. The Conference on “Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Remediation” was held on February 6th, 2019 at Vikrama Simhapuri University, Nellore.