It’s been exactly a year and it feels surreal to revisit this subject almost at the same time this year. The economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 gave birth to the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. It is interesting to know that while the idea was first proposed by Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, some of its features were similar to the famous Swadeshi movement launched on August 7, 1905, to take on the British regime during that period.
‘Atmanribhar’ in my opinion is a very strong and positive term. Atmanirbhar means 'self-reliant’. However, Honourable Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission” is not only about being self-contained or being closed to the world, it is more about being self-sustaining and self-generating. To pursue goals and policies that promote efficiency, productivity and resilience. On May 12, Hon. The Prime Minister announced in his address to the nation an economic package of Rs 20 trillion to tide over the coronavirus crisis under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The economic package would not just play a key role in making India ' self-reliant' but would also benefit labourers, farmers, honest taxpayers, MSMEs and the cottage industry. Making the country self-reliant was the only way to make the 21st century belong to India. India’s self-reliance mission or Atmanibhar Bharat was clearly based on the pillars of Economy, Infrastructure, Technology-driven system, Vibrant demography and Demand
At REVA we believe in the philosophy of self-dependence and self-reliance, our quick initiatives during the testing times ensured health and safety for our students, faculty, staff and community as a whole. With REVA’s in-house creation – Jeeva Setu, a ventilator to serve the communities in need was a result of multi-disciplinary collaborations from the University. We had also researched and produced our own sanitisers and touchless dispensers to be used by the students, faculty and staff.
As a self-reliant University, we believe in Innovation & Entrepreneurship:
I sincerely feel that as a part of this mission, more and more Universities should become hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship. The Higher Education centres have the best of resources, intelligence pool and the zeal to excel.
At REVA, we have been following this path for a long time. Some of our in-house tech products are a testimonial to our self-reliance mission. We are proud of the R&D teams from various Schools for the design and development of low-cost and affordable machines and applications for emergency pandemic situations during the peak Covid times. These are a testament to REVA’s multidisciplinary approach and technological development practices that make us stand apart.
Some of our in house products are; Contactless Temperature Screening, Treadle Pump for farmers, Pedal operated water pump and filtering system, foot-operated hydraulic lift, Smart LED bulb, Virtual Conferencing platform, Jeeva Rakshak App, Social distancing alerting systems, triple-layered masks touchless taps, touchless elevator system and many more.
Digital-First Campus:
At the onset of the pandemic, REVA University was amongst the first few to adopt the Digital-First approach for efficient, smooth and seamless learning for our students. At REVA, we took careful but quick initial steps to cover that extra mile and ensured that not a single day of learning was missed by the students. From online teaching & learning to Online tab based exams to regular classes being conducted both online and offline and giving a choice to students, REVA University also carried out Virtual admission counselling for parents & students at the peak of the Pandemic.
The globalisation of Higher education:
India’s dream to build an Atmanirbhar nation will be largely based on a globalised higher education system that would require Universities to reimagine and re-carve their future and a solid foundation. The world has to see and acknowledge our country as a global destination for affordable learning and knowledge. At REVA, we are moving towards attaining this milestone with future-ready courses and state of the art learning methodology across all domains.
We believe in developing excellence in Educational Researches and Publications:
I have always mentioned in my previous Blogs that a global and modern self-reliant University should have a strong foundation when it comes to research and innovations. At REVA, academic excellence means a blend of adaptive mindset, cutting edge technology, and a futuristic vision. Our faculty and team members from various schools are relentlessly involved in scientific research and publications, inspiring others in the process and building a concrete research culture in the University.
We truly believe that it starts with us & every single step counts. Our initiatives of self-reliance had begun even before the pandemic and some of our commendable initiatives through Rain Water Harvesting, Zero Food Wastage Policy, Recycling Papers within the Campus, Dry leaves used as compost and using STP water for our gardening purposes makes us a green, environmentally friendly and self-sufficient campus.
