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By:

Bhaskar Nath Biswal

13 May 2026 at 8:30:30 pm

Dialogue, Not Disruption

The Union government’s latest initiative, the 'One Day, One University' programme, aims to deploy Union Ministers to higher education institutions across India on a daily basis to interact directly with Generation Z. As reported, this ambitious initiative seeks to create a direct channel between top policymakers and youth, allowing ministers to listen to student concerns, understand youth perspectives on national matters and raise awareness about government welfare schemes designed for...

Dialogue, Not Disruption

The Union government’s latest initiative, the 'One Day, One University' programme, aims to deploy Union Ministers to higher education institutions across India on a daily basis to interact directly with Generation Z. As reported, this ambitious initiative seeks to create a direct channel between top policymakers and youth, allowing ministers to listen to student concerns, understand youth perspectives on national matters and raise awareness about government welfare schemes designed for students. Spearheaded by Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the program reflects a clear desire to engage young citizens where they are. Across the country’s vast educational ecosystem, spanning over 1,300 institutions including central, state, deemed and private universities, this direct reach initiative carries immense potential, provided it is executed with care for the core mission of academic institutions. The Promise of Direct Dialogue At its core, the policy holds significant promise. For decades, a noticeable disconnect has existed between policymaking hubs in New Delhi and the everyday realities experienced by students across various states. Having a Union Minister step onto a campus offers students a rare platform to present their views directly to those who formulate policy, bypassing administrative bureaucratic layers. Furthermore, such visits provide a valuable opportunity to inform students about relevant government schemes, grants and youth programs that might otherwise go unnoticed. When executed as a genuine, two-way exchange, this initiative can foster civic engagement, make young citizens feel heard and offer leaders direct insight into the aspirations, anxieties and constructive ideas of the nation’s youth. The Practical Bottlenecks on Campus While the intent to build bridges with youth is commendable, the operational realities of university campuses present serious practical challenges. Educational institutions are already grappling with frequent disruptions. Universities routinely organize a multitude of events, seminars, workshops and ceremonial functions every week or fortnight. Each event consumes critical academic working days and leads to lost instructional time, placing students and faculty under continuous pressure to complete syllabi and maintain research schedules. When a high-profile dignitary such as a Union Minister visits, these disruptions multiply significantly. University authorities often become absorbed in protocol preparations for three to four days prior to the event. Infrastructure maintenance, security reviews, venue setup and administrative meetings take precedence over regular academic duties. Furthermore, ministerial visits rarely occur in isolation; a considerable entourage of followers, security detail, party cadres and administrative staff typically accompanies them. The resulting commotion, heightened security cordons and elaborate stage arrangements convert a seat of learning into a temporary hub of political event management. These grand gatherings consume substantial public funds, precious time and administrative energy, often overshadowing the very objective of meaningful dialogue. Charting a Pragmatic Path Forward To achieve the genuine goals of the 'One Day, One University' initiative without compromising academic integrity, a fundamental shift in approach is required. The focus must pivot from grand public spectacles to understated, highly productive interactions. First, meetings between ministers and students should be stripped of high formal arrangements and stage-managed formalities. The emphasis ought to be on substantive conversation rather than ceremonial grandeur. To ensure academic schedules remain undisturbed, ministers should interact with students outside regular class hours, preferably in informal settings such as campus hostels, common rooms or university canteens. Such an unpretentious atmosphere encourages candid, unscripted feedback from students while keeping normal lecture hours intact. Second, official briefings with university authorities such as Vice-Chancellors, department heads, and faculty representatives should be conducted in closed meeting halls either strictly before or after scheduled academic hours. Closed-door interactions free from media grandstanding allow university leaders to present ground-level administrative, financial and infrastructural challenges accurately. Digital Feedback Channels: A Prevention Strategy To ensure that student voices are captured continuously without relying solely on physically demanding events, the government should establish official online feedback portals. Managed directly by the concerned ministry or designated nodal officers, these digital platforms would allow students, researchers and faculty members to submit their views, grievances and policy ideas in real time. Providing an accessible, transparent and direct line of communication with decision-makers serves as a vital safety valve for youth sentiment. By giving Generation Z a reliable digital avenue to express their perspectives and see their concerns acknowledged, the administration can proactively address dissatisfaction, thereby significantly reducing the need for students to take to the streets in disruptive rallies or public protests to make their voices heard. (The writer is a former college Principal and Founder of Supporting Shoulders, an Odisha-based non-profit Trust. Views personal.)

Indian Shipbuilding A Must Win Marathon

Shipbuilding

With a coastline of 7500 KM, it is hard to imagine, that for the first 20 years (1947-1967) India had no ‘shipping ministry’. In 1967 a Shipping ministry “coupled” with ROAD transport was established. Since then, this ministry has been on a name changing ride, not once, not twice but six times. In 2009 the “ROAD Transport and Highways” was de-coupled and ‘Shipping’ ministry was formed. Turning point came in 2015 with a clear maritime vision for 2030 and 2047. Ministry was re-christened, aptly to Ministry of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” in 2020.


Why is Shipbuilding important for a country?

a. A Shipyard becomes an opportunity hub and like a queen bee requires the support of an industrial colony to manufacture machinery and equipment.

b. National Shipyards support fleet renewal needs of the Navy.

c. Contributes to national GDP, increases inflow of FOREX.


Korea shipbuilding is 8% of GDP. Japan’s automobile industry is 2.9% of GDP. India’s shipbuilding a meagre 0.000578% of GDP. In context, India’s pharmaceutical industry, ranked third largest in the world is 1.72% of India’s GDP.


International Shipbuilding Market

The market is estimated to reach around USD 200 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.84%. While India is at bottom with 0.07% of world share, behind Philippines 1.5% and Vietnam 1%, however on the positive side, India has done well in taking care of its defence needs, with 37 of 39 Naval ships being built in India yards. Rear Admiral S Shrikhande researching on maritime as a Fellow at Wollongong University, Australia, says “Shipbuilding in India needs both, serious incentivisation and dogged determination and not harping on being a big ship breaking country. That Garden Reach shipyard has a $54 million order for merchant ships from a German owner, is a good sign.”


Were Shipyards of 20th century in Flight mode?

Prominent shipyards in India were built in the colonial period. Mazagon Dock 1774, Garden reach 1884, Hindustan shipyard 1941 to cater to British navy and merchant fleet needs. Cochin shipyard 1972, Adani Katupalli 2013, Reliance Naval and Engineering, Rajula Gujarat 1997 and others have limited capacity, hence a lot more work to do. Capt. Subhangshu Dutt (Singapore) a mariner and now a shipowner, says “GOI should hold hands in any collaboration till the marriage with the foreign entity is reasonably stable. He also suggests that “new shipbuilding sites should be given to existing successful shipyards since they have decades of experience and talent. Consortium of 3 or more parties may also be good idea”.


Shipbuilding GOLD

As per SPLASH report the demand for LCO2 carriers could reach 2,500 ships by 2050. As per other estimates, 40% of global fleet of ships could have wind propulsion by 2050. A surge in such vessels is due to an unparallel waves of decarbonization in the shipping industry. Demand for ships with ‘carbon neutral’ badges, such as Dual fuel, Wind assisted, Nuclear fuel ships, Hydrogen powered ships, Liquified CO2 (LCO2) carrier, is outstripping supply. A must in the ‘bucket list’ of every Shipyard. Pinning down a standard ROI in shipbuilding is not easy, but experts suggest it could range from 4% to 15% for the high demand ‘carbon neutral’ ships. While an LNG new build vessel could cost US$ 250 million upwards.


International collaboration

On China’s shipbuilding success story, Manoj Pandalanghat (Singapore) a mariner and ship owner believes that “China has around 50 active Shipyards. Each have a few large dry docks. In each dock two or more large vessels are built simultaneously. Thus, a single yard is able to roll out 2/3 vessels/month, 36 vessels/year and 50 shipyards roll out 1800 vessels/year”.


China could be a jaldi-5, but India needs a sturdy Mount Fiji. Besides technology, Japanese bring the most important hand baggage of soft-skills and culture, essential for success from keel laying to delivery. Maruti’s is a standing example.


Food for thought for New Delhi

a. Expertise: Hire Naval Architects and shipbuilding experts with current international experience.

b. Government assistance: Land, Financial support, subsidies and timebound clearances.

c. Monitoring: PMO should monitor the first 5 to 10 years till Shipbuilding takes-off on this long-haul flight to destination 2047.


India’s Shipbuilding is expected to grow to $237 billion by year 2047. On a back of the envelope calculations this works out to about 4% of India’s 2047 projected GDP of $ 5 trillion. While cars are driven on roads, however the Ministry of roads and transport has little to do with “Automobile manufacturing”. On a similar note, ‘Shipbuilding’ as an industry has little to do with Ports, Shipping and Waterways, thus it may be worthwhile to consider a separate ‘Ship-building’ wing in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways headed by a dynamic cabinet rank minister. Since 2047 targets are stiff and an uphill task, so in all probabilities, the officials in Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways are likely to push beneath the carpet, delays and failures of Shipbuilding with sweet success stories of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” and if this does happen then India will not only miss the Shipbuilding bus of 21st century but a lot more from a national security and strategic perspective.


(The author is a Shipping and Marine consultant. Member Singapore Shipping Association and empaneled with IMO as a specialist consultant. Views personal.)

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