New Delhi: TheUniversity Grants Commission (UGC) has given its approval for the setting up of four new centres at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).Of the total four centers proposed, three of them are part of the School of Social Sciences, whereas one is a special autonomous centre.
Prof. Deepak Kumar, head of the proposed Centre for Media Research, has said that the centre will focus on research and not on media studies which is the common focus of many institutions. Prof Kumar also informed that the centre should be functional in a year or two. He added that the initial programmes on offer will be M. Phil and Ph. D. programmes.
The main purpose behind setting up the new centre is to develop a critical understanding about the media and its engagement with society, polity and economy in India. In addition, it will also engage itself with shaping and studying factors influencing the media and search for alternative functions through new media for instance.
Furthermore, Prof. Amitabh Kundu, Head Centre for the Studies of the Informal Economy, has said that the informal economy is a significant emerging field of study in India and not much research has been done in this area. He said that the centre will aim to focus on the informal economy in all its dimensions and explore its importance. Moreover, he also added that efforts would be made to have the centre functional in a year.
The third centre at the School of Social Sciences is the North-East Studies Research Centre. According to Prof. Sanjay Puri, chairperson of Special Centre for Nano Science, the aim of the centre is to be at the cutting edge of research in nano technology.
