SMVDU Katra, Dec. 2018. The School of Architecture & Landscape Design (SoALD), Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, organized a special session of eminent Architect S K Das to strengthen architectural design skills for the architecturestudents with an approach to make aware them of modern practices. The sessionwas started with a welcome note by Prof (Dr) Rajeev Garg, Head,SoALD. Prof Das sensitized the architecture students about the need for inclusive built environment for all. Further, he conducted an informative and engaging presentation for the students on design concepts, while addingtentenets on architecture which were also formulated by him. The presentation covered several aspects of urbandesign and designing townships with a focus on the need to consider landscape as an integral part of architectural design process. Thesession concluded with mutual interaction of students and faculty members, SoALD, with the speaker. The session was organized as a part of the constant endeavor of SMVDU to impart quality education and international exposure for effective and enhanced learning of students. A formal vote of thanks concluded the event.

SMVDU Katra, 15 Dec. 2018. The Faculty Development Centre (FDC) of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, in collaboration with Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers & Teaching (PMMMNMTT) Scheme, MHRD, Govt. of India, organised a one-day national workshop on ‘Communication Skills Required for Teaching’ where sessions on ‘Critical Discourse Pedagogy’ and ‘Effective Classroom Management’ were conducted by the expert resource persons, namely Prof. Rajneesh Arora, Director, English & Foreign Language University (EFLU), Lucknow Campus, and Prof. Rajnish K. Mishra, Sanskrit & Indic Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, respectively, as reported by Dr. Amitabh V. Dwivedi, Coordinator of the event. Further, he reported to the Media Cell that the national workshop received a huge response from teachers of schools, colleges and universities from J&K region and from different Indian states. Previously during the inaugural session, Prof. D. Mukhopadhayay, Coordinator FDC, graced the occasion as a Chief Guest. In his address, he informed the participants that SMVDU is the only MHRD-FDC in J&K state, and this is the first event organised by the FDC. Further, he emphasised that a good teacher must learn, unlearn and relearn certain things in order to become a great teacher. Also, Dr. M. M. Chaturvedi, Co-coordinator, FDC, Mr. Samir Vora, Technical Officer, FDC, and Ms. Kanchan Gupta, S.O., FDC were present during the inaugural ceremony. Dr. Sanjeev Jain, Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU, conveyed his best wishes to the participants, and hoped that this workshop would help them improve their teaching practices. The participants thanked the FDC, SMVDU for organising such meaningful events. The event concluded with distribution of certificates to the participants in the valedictory ceremony.

SMVDU Katra, 18^thDec. 2018. The School of Languages & Literature (SoL&L), a leading department at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, organised a two-day international conference on “Semiotic Approach to Feminist Studies” (18-19 Dec. 2018), where Prof. KanikaBatra of Texas State University, US, was the expert resource person and the key note speaker, whereas Prof. D. Mukhopadhyay, Dean, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, graced the occasion as the chief guest, as reported by Dr. Anurag Kumar, Convener of the event. Previously, Dr. Amitabh V. Dwivedi, Coordinator & Head, SoL&L, introduced the theme, while stating that semiotic approach is useful in assessing the limitations of master theories as it unsettles established things. Prof. Mukhopadhyay, in his inaugural address, emphasised that accepting and admitting non-linguistic spaces for female gender is more important than merely playing linguistic jugglery. The conference received a huge response from J&K state, and from Indian states. Prof. KanikaBatra talked about giving importance to the act of sexual violence rather than taking political mileage over where it happened and who did that. Senior faculty members, including Dr. Anil K. Tiwari, Head, School of Philosophy & Culture (SoPC), SMVDU; Mr. S. S. Sharma, faculty member (SoPC); Ms. Isha Malhotra, faculty member (SoL&L); Dr. Garima Gupta of Jammu University, and others were also present during the inaugural ceremony. Dr. Sanjeev Jain, Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU, appreciated that the School is regularly organising academic discussions on such sensitive and socially important themes. The event concluded with a formal vote of thanks presented by Dr. SimranPreet Kaur and Dr. Ranbir Kaur.

SMVDU Katra, 11^thDec. 2018. The Faculty Development Programme (FDP), sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology-NIMAT Project, Government of India,beganat Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, as reported by Dr. Supran K. Sharma, the Chief Coordinator of EDC-SMVDU, andProgram Coordinator ofthe FDP.The eventstarted with the objective of ‘applications of innovation’in teaching pedagogy. Prof. D. Mukhopadhyay, Dean, Faculty of Management,and chief guest of the inaugural function emphasized on job creation instead of job seeking for long-term economic freedom with special reference to women entrepreneurship. Dr. ShaillaCannie, Principal, SMVD College of Nursing, expressed her concern for empowering the women via entrepreneurship and use of technology. The Guest of Honour, Dr. Ashok Bhan, former DGP,J&K,and distinguished fellow, inspired the participants to bridge the gap between youth and unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship. He reflected upon the responsibility of teachers to guide the students for ethical earning. The inaugural ceremony was concluded with formal vote of thanks presented by Dr. RashiTaggar, co-coordinator, FDP, whilethe team expressed its deepest gratitude to Dr. Sanjeev Jain, the Vice Chancellor, SMVDU, who wished that this two-week long activity would provide the participants with hands-on training sessions, lectures, interactions with the successful entrepreneurs, and would also train the participants to formulate business plans with traditional and modern approaches.

SMVDU Katra, 17^th Dec. 2018: A week-long Faculty Development Program (FDP) on “Best Manufacturing Practices in Industries”, sponsored by TEQIP–III, in collaboration with JNTU Hyderabad was inaugurated today at the School of Mechanical Engineering, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra from 17^th to 21^th December, 2018. The FDP, coordinated by Dr. Balbir Singh and Dr. Sanjay Mohan Sharma, faculty members, SMVDU, aimed at highlighting the various fundamentals of quality management, industrial safety, maintenance and industry 4.0 and. Dr. Singh briefed all the participants about the need of total quality management in the current industrial scenario. Further, the Coordinators thanked the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, SMVDU, Prof. Sanjeev Jain, for his constant encouragement and support. Experts from IIT’s, NITs, BIS and industry would be invited to deliver lectures on new trends in the area of quality management. Around thirty faculty members and industry participants from various disciplines registered for the FDP. The Dean, Faculty of Engineering, SMVDU, Prof. V. Verma, graced the occasion as the chief guest where he spoke on the importance of organizing such courses which would keep the faculty members abreast with the latest developments in the field of manufacturing. The Head, School of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. R.K. Mishra, also spoke about the various aspects of manufacturing at the occasion. Mr. Dheeraj Arora (Senior Consultant, iMinds) and Prof. Pradeep Kumar of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, IIT, Rourkee, were also present at the inaugural. The other senior faculty members, including Prof. I.K. Pandita, Dr. Ankush Anand and Dr. Y. Anand. Er. Mir Irfan Ul Haq, Asst. Prof., SME carried out the proceedings of the event and proposed the vote of thanks.

SMVDU Katra, 08^thDec. 2018. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra has become an active agent of social change, SMVDU takes on voluntary actions in the creation of a culture of social responsibility through a myriad of activities that address welfare of the society. Until recently, the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment at SMVDU, also known as, GSCASH, organised a workshop on ‘GenderSensitisation in Classroom’ for the students and teachers of Delhi Public School (DPS), Katra to stimulate the stakeholders on gender equality in education. The Chairperson (GSCASH), Dr. Ratna Chandra, informed the Media Cell that a team of faculty members, SMVDU, including Dr. KaminiPathania, Ms. Sonia Gupta, and others had conducted sessions where message regarding, concerns for gender equality in and through education, and understanding the prevalent misconceptions of gender were highlighted. The lecture sessions were followed up by interactive counselling sessions, and the workshop ended with a fruitful session on ‘Self-esteem and Confidence Boosting in Girls.’ The workshop focused on the CBSE initiative for transmitting knowledge that is free of gender-bias, while promoting and facilitating unbiased participation of boys and girls in the learning process and creating a gender-sensitive milieu. Dr. Chandra thanked the Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU, Dr. Sanjeev Jain, for his efforts and constant encouragement for organising gender-awareness activities within and outside university campus, particularly spreading awareness amongst nearly schools and colleagues as a social responsibility of SMVDU. MsVandana Sharma, Principal, DPS, Katra, thanked the GSCASH team, and expressed her gratitude to Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU, for organising such evens.

SMVDU Katra, 16^thDec. 2018. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University focuses on the overall development of students and faculty members, and in this context, the School of Architecture & Landscape Design (SoALD), initiatedthe establishment of Student Chapter of Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), launched in a special session in the presence of dignitaries and representatives of IGBC and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The session started with a welcome note with a mention of significance of green buildings by Prof. Rajeev Garg, Head of School which was followed by the keynote adddress of Mr Rajesh Sharma, Vice Chairman, CII, (J&K State Council). Eminent architect and Chairperson, IGBC, (Chandigarh & North India Chapter), Ar Jit Kumar Gupta, apprised the benefits, design aspects and rating system of green buildings. An informative and engaging presentation by architect Gupta filled the audience with awe. Secretary of Student Chapter, Mohd Hussain and Joint Secretary, Zainab Bhat also presented their views and expressed their commitment towards organizing activities at university and region under student chapter. Dr V Verma, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, deliberated upon the awareness issues about carbon credit and need of its understanding by building professionals. The IGBC official, MrNilesh Rana, presented the Student Chapter Certificate to office bearers. Mr Aditya Sharma, Ultratech Cement Ltd., was a special invitee during the event. The students of architecture and civil engineering, along with faculty members, including Abhiney Gupta, Satyanshu Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Navin Gupta, Aditya Kumar Singh, Dr V K Dogra, Dr B B Jindal, DrVaibhavSapkal and Er Rahul Sharma also attended the event. The formal vote of thanks presented by the Joint Secretary of student chapter.

SMVDU Katra, 02^ndDec. 18. Dr. Amitabh V. Dwivedi, Head, School of Languages & Literature, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra delivered invited talks on “The Linguistic Influence of India on World” and “B. R. Ambedkar’s Thoughts on Linguistic States” at BhartiyaVidyaBhavan, Ahmadabad. These two national seminars were organised by Bhavan’sSheth R. A. College of Arts and Commerce, Ahmadabad, in collaboration with Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) & Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) where a fruitful discussion on the themes- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Thinker for All Ages and Role of Cultural History in Formation of Society took place for three days. Notably, Dr. Dwivedi was also the part of delegates who got an opportunity to interact with Honorble Governor of Gujarat, Shri Om Prakash Kohliji at Rajbhavan, The Honorable Governor raised his concern that institutions must realize their responsibility for society and its welfare, and also sought suggestions for the celebrations on Gandhi Jayanti so that the philosophy of the Father of Nation may be enlivened. Dr. Dwivedi’s talkswere appreciated by the audience, particularly, Member Secretary (ICHR & ICPR) Dr. RajnishSkhula;Dr. Anita Singh, professor, BHU, Varanasi; Dr. Suresh Verma, professor, JamiaMiliaIslamia, New Delhi, Dr.Sushleen K. Sharma, professor, Uni. of Allahabad, Dr. Sanjeev K. Sharma, professor, Merrut Uni.; Mr. PrakullKetkar, Senior Journalist, Prof. S. R. Bhatt, Chairman, ICHR; Dr. KuldeepAgnihotri, VC, Himachal Uni., and others.Dr. Sanjeev Jain, Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU, congratulated the faculty member, and expressed his desire that there should be more fruitful interaction amongst the scholarsfrom academia.

SMVDU Katra, 14 Dec. 2018. Mr. Ashwani Koul, Manager (Quality Assurance), VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., Indore, delivered an expert talk on “Quality Assurance in Automotive Industry” at the School of Mechanical Engineering, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra. Mr. Koul apprised students about the importance of quality control and quality assurance in the automotives industries. The talk was attended by the students, faculty and research scholars of the school of Mechanical Engineering. During the session, Mr. Koul held an interactive talk with the faculty members and provided them with his inputs on improving the reaserch output and consultancy work in the school. Also, the various aspects of improving the industry-academia collaboration were pondered upon. Dr. R. K. Misra (Head, SME), thanked Mr. Koul for sparing his time and for his words of wisdom. Dr. Sanjay Mohan, faculty member, SME, presented the formal vote of thanks.

SMVDU Katra. With an aim to get benefitted from the Sanskrit language, the School of Philosophy & Culture (SoPC) of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra is organizing a Sanskrit Learning Workshop from 1^st Dec. to 14^th Dec. 2018. So far more than 20 participants have beenenrolled in the course, and more are planning to join it shortly, as reported by Dr. Anil K. Tewari, coordinator of the course. Dr. Rajiv Ranjan Sinha (retd.), Professor of Sanskrit, Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Varanasi, is the resource person for this workshop who, on the first day, elaborated the basic structure of the Sanskrit language, and highlighted the relevance of learning Sanskrit. He cited the mantra of Rig Veda which considers the language as qualified by seven vibhaktis (Nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive, locative and vocative), three vachanas (singular, dual and plural) and three genders (masculine, feminine and neuter). The nominal and verbal words in Sanskrit originate from roots (dhatus) with the association of suffixes (pratyayas). Notably, Sanskrit is said to be the most scientific language ever known to the humanity. An evidence of its scientific nature can be seen in its recognition as the most suitable language for computational purposes. Dr. Sanjeev Jain, Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU, wished all the Sanskrit learners an enriching learning experience.