Nava Bharat inks pact with CSIR-IICT for ‘Jigyasa’ in Kothagudem

Kothagudem: With the objective of attracting students towards the study of science, Paloncha-based NBVL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad. The MoU aims at implementing ‘Jigyasa,’ a student outreach programme in the district. As part of the initiative, scientists from CSIR-IICT will conduct Jigyasa virtual lab activities to strengthen scientific acumen among […]

Kothagudem: With the objective of attracting students towards the study of science, Paloncha-based NBVL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad.

The MoU aims at implementing ‘Jigyasa,’ a student outreach programme in the district. As part of the initiative, scientists from CSIR-IICT will conduct Jigyasa virtual lab activities to strengthen scientific acumen among high school students.

---

Speaking to Telangana Today, Nava Bharat Ventures Limited (NBVL) vice president Y Srinivasa Murthy said Nava Bharat proposed to establish a Science Centre at Paloncha with the support of IICT. The initiative is aimed at popularising science, technology and innovation to inculcate scientific temper among government school students by following broad activities covered under CSIR’s Jigyasa programme, he said.

CSIR launched the programme to promote scientific temper through the student-scientist connect programme. The scope of the programme is to extend classroom learning by focusing on well-planned research laboratory-based learning, Murthy explained.

He said NBVL, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, has been operating mobile science labs since 2011. Resource persons have been engaged to offer hands-on knowledge to government school students through science experiments based on the school syllabus.

As many as 3,000 students studying sixth to the tenth standard in 22 government schools in the Kothagudem district are being covered under the programme. The MoU with CSIR-IICT for implementing Jigyasa will augment the NBVL’s ongoing science labs initiative, he noted.

Deputy Manager (CSR activities) M Srinivas Rao informed that Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has on Nov 23 launched a Virtual Laboratory at Nava Bharat High School, Paloncha.
A team led by CSIR-IICT scientist Dr D Shailaja will visit the district in the second week of December for field-level interaction with teachers and students and conduct innovative science experiments.

As part of Jigyasa, a continuous programme, competitions, scientific webinars, workshops, community-based events, citizen science, boot camps and outreach programmes will be conducted, he added.