The newly established study chairs in the name of former Deputy Prime Minister late Babu Jagjivan Ram and Dalit activist Prof. B. Krishnappa at Kuvempu University will commence functioning from second week of November.
H.S. Bhojya Naik, Registrar, Kuvempu University, told The Hindu that the State government, in the budget of 2017-18 had announced to establish Babu Jagjivan Ram Study Chair and Prof. B. Krishnappa Study Chair. An amount of ₹2 crore had been allocated for the study chair named after Babu Jagjivan Ram while ₹1 crore was allocated for study chair named after B. Krishnappa. The State government has also released the amount recently, he said.
The study chairs will be inaugurated in second week of November. H. Anjaneya, Minister for Social Welfare and Kagodu Thimmappa, Minister for Revenue will participate in the ceremony. The approval from the Academic Council and the Syndicate of the university will be sought for the inauguration of both the study chairs. He said that both study chairs will commence functioning immediately after their inauguration.
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Shivanand Kelaginamane, convener of both the newly-established study chairs, told The Hindu that workshops and seminars on the life and achievements of Babu Jagjivan Ram and B. Krishnappa will be conducted and books will be published on them. The study will focus on the evolution of the Dalit struggle in India, the challenges they are facing, and the relationship between the Dalit movement and other struggles.
Certificate and diploma courses under regular and distance learning on the Dalit movement from both study chairs will be offered. The administration staff for both will be hired soon, he added.
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With the establishment of these two study chairs, the total number of study chairs in Kuvempu University has raised to five. The study chairs named after social reformers Basaveshwara, B.R. Ambedkar and Abdul Nazeer Sab, known as architect of Panchayat Raj system in Karnataka, are already functioning here.