Public resources for lifelong learning

On-campus public lectures

Guest lectures, panel discussions and seminars are an essential part of teaching and learning at JGU. Most of these events are open to the general audience, regardless of their educational background. This encourages interdisciplinary participation and lifelong learning. These public lectures are accessible through the official YouTube channel which can be viewed here https://youtube.com/playlist?list=UULfNHxy0D9SO_0iESgkHwhg&feature=shared

Public lecture highlights from the past year:

JSGP Open Lecture on “Are the Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture Underestimated? – A Disaggregated Analysis for India” by Prof. Shreekant Gupta, Visiting Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (Brookings India) and Adjunct Faculty, Department of Social Science and Humanities (SSH), Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi.

JCGS Guest Lecture on “Themes, Trends and Patterns in US Foreign Policy: The Shape of Things to Come and the Repercussions for the Global South”. Our Guest Speaker was Dr. Monish Tourangbam, the Director of the Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies (KIIPS).

Free lectures on SWAYAM

SWAYAM is an Indian government portal for a free open online course (MOOC) platform providing educational courses for university and college learners. The Ministry of Education, UNICEF Chair of Vulnerability Studies Join Hands for an InterDisciplinary course with CNES for conducting e-lectures with online-SWAYAM Platform. The course is free to enroll and learn from. More information is available here https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc24_ge03/preview

Publicly available research work

In the early summer of 2024, Professor Deepanshu Mohan was appointed a Visiting Professor at the Saw See Hock Southeast Asia Centre at LSE. Prof. Mohan, during the first year of appointment, was involved in research and writing at LSE, while disseminating our ethnographic work undertaken in different provincial spaces across Cambodia (mostly studied during the period of 2016-2019 period across different projects supported by the JGU Research Grant Committee, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and other funding networks). The visits to Cambodia and the research undertaken across cities of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang province etc. was supported by local researchers who worked closely with the CNES team in conducting field interviews and assisting with translations and documentation. Some of the research work is published and openly accessible from here , here and here.

Accessible live discussions

The Law and marginalisation Clinic, Centre for Justice, Law and Society (CJLS), Jindal Global Law School has created an Insta Live Series on ‘The New Law: A Conversation on Your Rights and Remedies’. These discussions feature guest speakers, who focus on themes such as healthcare rights for transgender and gender-diverse persons and the challenges in accessing educational and employment opportunities, and more. These sessions can be accessed on Instagram Live via the @lawandmarginalisation Instagram account.

Vocational training events

Trainings conducted in 2023-24

Educational outreach

Education on menstrual hygiene and proper usage of sanitary napkins

Many girls and women in underserved communities face challenges in accessing essential sanitary products, which have profound effects on their health and well-being. Lack of access to these products in India can also lead to school dropouts in thousands of villages.

The JSPC Community Outreach Program, in collaboration with the EKYA Foundation, is organised a Sanitary Napkin Collection Drive. The collected sanitary napkins were distributed to a government girls’ school in Mandori village, Sonipat. During this distribution, the team provided education on hygiene and proper usage of sanitary napkins. The goal was to empower young girls with knowledge and resources that can positively influence their lives.

Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability (JSES)

Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability (JSES) conducted a series of field visits and community engagement programs for the 2nd year B.A. (Hons.) Environment and Sustainable Development course students as a part of the Water, Sanitation, and Health course led by the instructor Prof. Neelu Anand Jha. The students visited Government Primary School (Jagdishpur Village, Sonipat), P.M. Shri Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School (Barota village, Sonipat), Slum clusters in Haiderpur (Nehru Camp, Delhi) and MCD Primary School for girls (Haiderpur (Nehru Camp, Delhi) between 28th August – 25th September 2023.

The field visits and community engagement programs focused on ‘local community participation’ activities wherein the students get a chance to interact with the local communities in the villages/schools/health centres/slums, etc. and understand their problems related to water, health and hygiene. The students discussed the different problems of water, health and hygiene and their possible solutions with different stakeholders including the local government representatives, nominated officials, health representatives, the general public, etc. As a part of the course and in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4 and 6) “Clean Water and Sanitation”, the 2nd year students also organised a Community Engagement Workshop on “Water, sanitation, Health and Education: SDGs Learning and Training” on 25th September 2023 at the Government Primary School (Jagdishpur Village, Sonipat) for the primary school students and teachers led by the course instructor, Prof. Neelu Anand Jha.

Lifelong learning access

Commitment to lifelong learning

Training on the Environmental Aspects of Sustainability

Organisational Strategies for Sustainability: Sessions on “Implementing SDGs in Higher Education” and “Building and sourcing for a sustainable value chain” organised by JGU HR featuring distinguished academicians in the fields of sustainability and management.

Universities of the Future, A Global Partnership for Social Justice and Sustainable Development: O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) held the World Universities Summit on ‘Universities of the Future: A Global Partnership for Social Justice and Sustainable Development’ from February 19 to 21. Organised by International Institute for Higher Education Research & Capacity Building (IIHEd) of JGU, the fourth edition of the Summit was a hybrid event, which included two days of 25 virtual thematic sessions during February 19-20, followed by a Higher Education Leaders Conclave at JGU’s campus on February 21.

Environmental Sustainability: A Core Commitment of the University beyond Rankings: At the World Universities Summit 2024 themed “Universities of the Future: A Global Partnership for Social Justice and Sustainable Development”, a session on “Environmental Sustainability: A Core Commitment of the University beyond Rankings” was organized and moderated by Prof. (Dr.) Abhiroop Chowdhury, Professor and Vice Dean at Jindal School of Environment & Sustainability.

Food for a Healthy Planet: O.P. Jindal Global University hosted distinguished delegates from the University of Melbourne, including Prof. Giovanni Turchini, Head of School, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences; Prof. Alex Johnson, Associate Dean (International), Faculty of Science; Dr. Surinder Singh Chauhan, Director International, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences; Dr. Antanas Spokevicius, Senior Lecturer in Forest Ecosystem Science, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences; & Chiara Balsamo, International Engagement Officer. The delegation took part in a joint workshop on ‘Food for a Healthy Planet’ and interacted with the students regarding study opportunities at the University of Melbourne.

Empowering Biodiversity Research: JSES hosted a guest lecture on “Empowering Biodiversity Research: The Crucial Role of Citizen Science” by Arjun C.P., Ph.D. Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala

Plant Embryogenesis and Sustainable Food Security: Guest lecture on “Plant Embryogenesis and Sustainable Food Security: Lessons from the Manna Centre at TAU (Tel-Aviv University) by Prof. Nir Ohad

Training on the Social Aspects of Sustainability

Organisational Strategies for Sustainability: Sessions on “Connecting sustainability with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice” and “Empowering local communities” organised by JGU HR featuring distinguished academicians in the fields of sustainability and management.

JSES Field Visits: Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability (JSES) conducted a series of field visits and community engagement programmes for the students of B.A. (Hons.) Environment and Sustainable Development as a part of the Water, Sanitation, and Health course led by the instructor Prof. Neelu Anand Jha. The students visited Government Primary School (Jagdishpur Village, Sonipat), P.M. Shri Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School (Barota village, Sonipat), Slum clusters in Haiderpur (Nehru Camp, Delhi) and MCD Primary School for Girls (Haiderpur Nehru Camp, Delhi) between August 28 and September 25. The field visits and community engagement programmes focused on local community participation activities wherein the students got a chance to interact with the local communities in the villages, schools, health centres and slums to understand their problems related to water, health and hygiene. The students discussed the possible solutions with different stakeholders, including local government representatives, nominated officials, health representatives and the general public.

Winter School Programme on Sustainability: The winter program was held in coordination with Centre for India Australia Studies in partnership with Office of International Affairs & Global Initiatives and Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability at O.P. Jindal Global University. The program featured seminars, panel discussions and workshops on topics such as “The idea of India – Introduction to Indian Social, political and historical context & understanding of diversity” and “Youth perspectives on sustainable development in India Sustainable development priorities for young people”.

Community Engagement Workshop on ‘Water, sanitation, Health and Education: SDGs Learning and Training’: As a part of the course and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4 and 6) ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’, JSES students led by the course instructor Prof. Jha organised a Community Engagement Workshop on ‘Water, sanitation, Health and Education: SDGs Learning and Training’ on September 25 at the Government Primary School (Jagdishpur Village, Sonipat) for the school students and teachers. JSES plans to design more such courses that involve community engagement and participation of its students with local communities.

Cornerstone Sessions by OCS: The Office of Career Services and Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability collaborated on a series of lectures “Cornerstone Sessions”. The sessions allowed students to connect with global leaders from the Environmental and Sustainability sector as they shared their journeys and insights. Each session was an enriching one-hour experience, featuring engaging presentations, followed by an interactive Q&A session These renowned international experts, hailing from NGOs, corporations, freelancing, and entrepreneurship backgrounds, guided students on their career path and professional journey.

JILDEE Training Programme: In September, Jindal Institute of Leadership Development and Executive Education (JILDEE) conducted one on-site training programme for executives of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd in academic collaboration with Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) and one on-campus training programme for officials of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in academic collaboration with Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS). The topics of “National strategy for achieving SDGs” and “SDGs and the challenges of Gender Equality” were covered during the programme.

Centre for Sustainability

Being a part of a global university that aspires to achieve the highest standard of academic credentials, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP) considers foray into “sustainability” a fait accompli. Governance of sustainability and the implications of SDGs in designing effective public policy interventions cannot be over emphasized. The Centre for Sustainability housed within JSGP is thus a timely effort by the school to contribute meaningfully to the challenges of achieving Agenda 2030. Being a research-led School, it will engage its students in both academic and action research to understand and disseminate the possible pathways to sustainable development that capture the pluralities in approaches to achieving the goals, rather than looking for a one size fits all solutions.

Center for Environment, Sustainability and Human Development (CESH)

The main focus of the environmental research group at JSLH is to merge environmental sciences with social studies, economics, policy, politics, climate, food, air, water, sanitation and several others to come up with ideas about the (a) governing factors, natural and anthropic, affecting human sustainable development, (b) spatio-temporal dimensions of the factors over varied scales and (c) potential pathways to address the challenges. A major thrust of our research is to devise and test latest geospatial modeling tools and techniques to map ‘hotspots’ of environment-induced socioeconomic changes, characterize temporal trends, identify main driving factors and develop strategic interventions.

The above ideas aptly lay the foundation of the Center for Environment, Sustainability and Human Development (CESH) – a transdisciplinary environmental research center established at JLSH that actively engages students from across the camps. Recently the center has received a university grant to test the applicability of recycled food-waste and crop-residues, alongside vermi-compost, to address growing concerns over air pollution in the NCR. The project will open up a variety of applied research opportunities for students in addition to help them earn paid-internship credits towards fulfillment of their BA degree program. This also sits at the very core of the entire liberal arts pedagogy at JSLH that strives to foster experiential learning and critical/creative thinking abilities among students.

Centre for Research on Digital Circular Economy for Sustainable Development Goals (DCE-SDG)

The aim is to create the first CE knowledge hub in India that will strengthen regional, national and transnational partnerships between industries and academia through the following objectives.

• Objective 1. Conducting evidence-based research with beneficiaries – academic researchers, industry practitioners, and policymakers to systematically align the capacity-building needs, policies and roles of each beneficiary to facilitate transition from linear to circular economy for UN SDGs.
• Objective 2. Designing and developing virtual support centre for the hub to facilitate leadership in the thematic area through knowledge co-creation, capacity building, and strengthening partnership with beneficiaries.
• Objective 3. Designing training packages for academic researchers and industry practitioners for facilitating CE adoption within SMEs’ supply chains through upskilling talent, creating a capability cluster, and enhancing the International reputation of the hub.

Courses offered within the degree programmes of JSES

Courses common for both B.A. (Hons.) and B.Sc. (Hons.) Environment and Sustainable Development:

• Climate Change and Policy
• Ecology, Ecosystems and Wildlife
• Planetary Boundaries and Sustainable Development Goals
• Environmental Policies and Practices
• Sociological Perspectives on Environment
• Introduction to Research & Academic Writing
• Environmental Pollution & Community Health
• Water: Science and Policy
• Environmental Ethics
• Waste Management: Sustainable Practices
• Global Environmental Issues & Movements
• Energy and Environment
• Corporate Environmental Responsibility
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Environment and Sustainability Management
• Community-based Conservation

Courses for B.Sc. (Hons.) Environment and Sustainable Development:

• Environmental Quality Monitoring & Assessment
• GIS and Spatial Data Analysis
• Rivers & Watershed Management
• Behavioural Ecology
• Environmental Biology
• Ecology and Evolution

Courses for B.A. (Hons.) Environment and Sustainable Development:

• Sustainable Consumption and Production
• Urban Sustainability
• Natural Resource Economics
• Remote Sensing for Environment

Cross-elective courses offered by JSES:

• Quantitative Skills and Data Analysis in Environmental Studies
• Environmental Gandhi
• Soil and Environment
• Life’s Rhythms: Environment and Health
• Global Landscapes
• Environmental Hazards and Disaster Resilience

Public Educational Events

On-campus public lectures

Guest lectures, panel discussions and seminars are an essential part of teaching and learning at JGU. Most of these events are open to the general audience, regardless of their educational background. This encourages interdisciplinary participation and lifelong learning. These public lectures are accessible through the official YouTube channel which can be viewed here https://youtube.com/playlist?list=UULfNHxy0D9SO_0iESgkHwhg&feature=shared

Public lecture highlights from the past year:

JSGP Open Lecture on “Are the Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture Underestimated? – A Disaggregated Analysis for India” by Prof. Shreekant Gupta, Visiting Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (Brookings India) and Adjunct Faculty, Department of Social Science and Humanities (SSH), Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi.

JCGS Guest Lecture on “Themes, Trends and Patterns in US Foreign Policy: The Shape of Things to Come and the Repercussions for the Global South”. Our Guest Speaker was Dr. Monish Tourangbam, the Director of the Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies (KIIPS).

JII Distinguished Public Lecture & Inauguration of Research Initiative on Vishwabandhu: India as a Provider of Global Public Goods by Dr. Arvind Virmani

Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP) Distinguished Public Lecture on the theme “Labour Market Inequality in India Over Three Decades” by Prof. Kunal Sen, Director, UNU-WIDER and Professor, University of Manchester, UK.

JII Distinguished Public Lecture | India-Mexico Partnership: Advancing Strategic Cooperation by H.E. Mr. Federico Salas Lotfe (Ambassador of Mexico to India).

CJLS distinguished public lecture by Akhil Kang titled, “Re-inventing Anthropology of Caste”; a part of a year long series of lectures and conversation series from Fall 2024 through Spring 2025, titled Epistemic Echoes: Unveiling ‘Minor Knowledges.’

Public Lecture on Deconstructing Environmental Justice by The Centre for Environmental Law and Climate Change: a webinar featuring Prof. (Dr.) MK Ramesh on “Deconstructing Environmental Justice – Struggles of those who are Unrecognized and Unspoken About.”