Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of IT giant, has signed an MoU with IIT-Kharagpur to fund travel (preferably for women) to 'Top International Conferences' and the research on the antiquity of Indus Valley, which is being carried out by the premier institute in association with the Archaeological Survey of India.
The initiative has been jointly undertaken under the leadership of Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty and IIT-Kgp director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti. "While advanced education helps us leap forward, studying ancient civilizations enables us to reflect on the culture of bygone societies. Infosys Foundation recognizes the importance of both and is committed to supporting pro grammes in both these areas," Sudha Murthy said. Murthy, one of the members of the board of governors at IIT-Kharagpur, had earlier donated Rs 5 crore to Presidency University . "It will be a great initiative as the decision will inspire many more women research scholars and students to come up with some very innovative work, publish journals or papers and take part in internationally acclaimed global conferences," added Chakraborti.
Every year, over 250 students participate in international conferences. Murthy has proposed to provide Rs 20 lakh from her own resources to support women students for such conferences. "Such conferences have been beneficial to students in networking for their doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. With support from Infosys Founda tion, eight to 10 meritorious girl students will be selected by a committee at IIT-Kgp to be sent to top conferences. These students will have Infosys Foundation mentioned in their presentation," added S K Ray, dean (postgraduate studies research).
Anindya Sarkar, lead investigator of the Indus Valley project, felt the funding had come at a right time when "we just unearthed some old Indus valley settlements in India. We are seeking permission from ASI for excavating a specific site and the grant will be used for studying the causes of climate change using latest techniques of isotope and faunal analysis."
(Source: The Times of India, Kolkata dated 2016-10-23)
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