Do it yourself

 Three decades ago, on 24th of July, 1991, when Pallath Joseph Kurien, Minister of State for Industry in Government of India, tabled the New Industrial Policy (NIP) in the Lok Sabha, not many would have realized how big was the moment in the socio-economic history of Independent India. After six years of preparation and facing political challenges, the new policy, which sought to end the Nehruvian Socialism in the country, finally saw the light of the day. The process of economic reform was set in motion by Vishwanath Pratap Singh, the finance minister in the government of Rajiv Gandhi (1984-1987). It gained further impetus when Ajit Singh, the MIT educated, tech savvy industry minister of National Front’s government assumed the charge (1989-1990). The original draft of NIP was prepared by Amar Nath Verma (then Industry Secretary) and Mohan Rakesh (then Chief Economic Advisor to Industry Minister Ajit Singh) in 1990. The proposal to radically reform the industrial policy of Ind...

The government finally released the broad contours of New Education Policy. The last such policy was formulated 34years ago in 1986. Since then the socio-economic and technology context have completely changed. We are perhaps 25years late in effecting the necessary changes in our education, training and skill development system. Nonetheless, the new policy proposal is a strong positive move and needs to be welcome. In fact, it is arguably the best thing that has happened to India since MNREGA and RTE were implemented more than a decade ago. The new policy is a "reform" in true sense, as it aims to change the status quo materially. The new proposals mark significant departures from the extant methods & practices of teaching, curricula, learning objectives, assessment procedures, regulatory framework, and other related aspects of the education system. The strong emphasis on accessibility & affordability, vocational training, value system, ethical orientation, natio...