Chairs to be set up in varsities in name of 10 eminent women personalities

Ten eminent women administrators, artists, scientists and social reformers, including Hansa Mehta and Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, will have Chairs in universities in their names, the government said on Friday.

The announcement was made by the women and child development ministry on National Girl Child Day.

The 10 Chairs will be set up with the University Grants Commission's assistance and with an aim to carry out research in different fields, according to a statement.

The initiative is called "establishment of chairs in universities in the name of eminent women administrators, artists, scientists and social reformers", it said.

These will be established for a period of five years initially, as per guidelines, according to the statement.

The chairs are being named after Holkar queen Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, litterateur Mahadevi Verma, freedom fighter from the North East Rani Gaidinliu, physician Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi, Carnatic singer M S Subbulakshmi, forest conservationist Amrita Devi Beniwal, mathematician Lilavati, scientist Kamala Sohonie, poet Lal Ded and educational reformist Hansa Mehta.

The financial implications of the proposal is Rs 50 lakh per Chair for a year and the total expenditure for establishing them will be about Rs 5 crore per annum, the statement said.

"The Chair's academic functions will be to engage in research and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the area of the study, strengthen the university's role and academics in public policy making, and to design and execute short-term capacity-building programmes for teachers in higher education focused towards the designated discipline of the Chair," it said.

The other academic functions will be to provide a forum for inter-university and inter-collegiate post graduate and research level dialogues; discussions; meetings; and seminars, the statement said.

Functions will also include summer and winter schools; and publishing articles, research papers, reports and books, it said.

The university will review the progress of its Chair annually and submit a report on the activities and outcomes to the UGC after the five years.

"However, the UGC may undertake the exercise of reviewing the Chair for its continuance, at any stage," according to the statement.