Prof.Mahendra P.Lama appointed as Vice-Chancellor Sikkim Central University

Delhi: Dr. Mahendra P Lama has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University by Visitor of university, Dr. Abdul KALAM, president of India, on the recommendation of expert panel from Ministry of Human Resource Development.Dr. Mahendra P Lama , Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, a resident of Darjeeling, is the youngest Vice Chancellor of the country. He is also the economic advisor of Chief Minister of Sikkim.Dr. P Lama, as a Vice-Chancellor of Sikkim University, shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office. The Vice-Chancellor shall be the principal executive and academic officer of the University and shall exercise general supervision and control over the affairs of the University and give effect to the decisions of all the authorities of the University. Sikkim University is established under the Sikkim University Act, 2006, with the objects to disseminate and advance knowledge by providing instructional and research facilities in such branches of learning as it may deem fit; to make provisions for integrated courses in humanities, natural and physical sciences, social sciences, forestry and other allied disciplines in the educational programmes of the university; to take appropriate measures for promoting innovations in teaching-learning process, inter-disciplinary studies and research; to educate and train manpower for the development of the state of Sikkim; and to pay social attention to the improvement of the social and economic conditions and welfare of the people of the state, their intellectual, academic and cultural development. The Governor of the State of Sikkim shall be the Chief Rector of the University. So far, there was no University in Sikkim and the colleges of the State are affiliated to the North Bengal University of West Bengal. These are mostly degree colleges and are following the courses and syllabus designed by the North Bengal University, which do not meet the specific requirements of the State of Sikkim. Due to lack of post-graduate courses in Sikkim, majority of the students do not get opportunity to pursue higher studies. Therefore, with the constant endeavors of Chief Minister of Sikkim, Dr. Pawan Kumar Chamling, The Sikkim University Bill 2006, has been able to be Act.
The financial requirement of the Sikkim University is estimated at Rs. 55.00 crore (non-recurring) and Rs. 32.60 crore (recurring) for the years 2006-07 to 2008-09. The expenditure would be met from the Consolidated Fund of India through the budgetary provision under the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Brief Bio-data of Dr.Mahendra P.Lama
(Photo below: Dr.Pawan Chamling & Prof.Mahendra P.Lama during Europe trip)

Professor Mahendra P. LamaProfessor Mahendra P. Lama did his M.A. and Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He specializes indevelopment economics and the economies of South Asia. He has extensively worked and published on issues related tocooperation and integrationinSouth Asia. A member of the Independent Expert Group from India appointed by theSAARC in 1997-98, he was also invited as a Visitor to the European Commission in Brussels in 2001. Last few years he has workedon migration and refugees in the region and was also invited by the UNHCR to contribute to its prestigious State of the WorldRefugees Report 2000.Professor Lama has more than a dozen of authored and edited books to his credit. The latest being theSikkim HumanDevelopment Report 2001 (Social Science Press, New Delhi), which he wrote under the invitationofSikkim, Planning Commission and United Nations Development Programme. He has been a FordFellow at theUniversity of Notre Dame, USA and Asia Leadership Fellow in Japan. He also holds post of Economic Advisor to the Chief Ministerand the Member of the State Planning Commission in Sikkimthe rank of a Minster of State.Recently published articles in the journals include:“Investment in South Asia: Trends and Issues”, South Asian Economic Journal, Sage, March 2000“SAARC: Shallow regionalism, Political Abstinence and Economic Imperatives”, BIISS Journal, January vol.21 No.1, Dhaka,Bangladesh“Economic Reforms and Cross Border Power Trade in South Asia”, South Asian Survey, New Delhi (January-June 2000)“Designing Economic Confidence Building Measures: Role of India in South Asia”, in India’s Pivotal in South Asia, CASAC, NewDelhi, September, 2000.“Internal Displacement in India: Causes, Protection and Dilemmas” Forced Migration Review, No.8, August 2000Refugee StudiesCentre, Oxford University,“Globalisation and South Asia: Capturing Primary Concerns and Vulnerabilities” International Studies, April-June, 2001)“Integrating the Tea Sector in South Asia: New Opportunities in the Global Market”. South Asian Survey, Delhi, January-June 2001recently published monographs and occasional papers include:monograph on Integrated Programme of Action in SAARC: Genesis, Evaluation, Constraints and Rationale for camping”,Occasional paper no.57, published by Research and Information System for Nonaligned and Other developing Countries, New Delhi,1999.Paper on Energy Cooperation in South Asia: Issues, Challenges and Potential published by South-South darity, New Delhi, 1999.Asional Paper on Managing Refugees in South Asia: Protection, Aid, State Behaviour and Regional roach, Occasional Paper 4,Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, Department of International nations Dhaka University, 2000.Asional Ppaper on Pipelines and Powergrids for Peace, (with Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Quaid-I-Azam University, Ahmabad),ICPI,Mumbai and Kings College, London, 2001Research Projects Completed (last five Years)“Economic Resources and Environmental Issues in South Asia” funded by International Development research Centre, Canada andFord Foundation, 1995.“Study on South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA)” Prof. IN Mukherji and DN Rao led by International DevelopmentResearch Centre, Canada, 1994-1996.“Armed Conflict within and between Developing Countries: A Case Study of South Asia” with scholars from Pakistan, Sri Lanka andIndia.“Indian Private Investment in Nepal” funded by BP Koirala India-Nepal FoundationSouth Asian Growth Quadrangle jointly with the scholars from Bangladesh and Nepal funded by Japan foundation.“Foreign Direct Investment in South Asia” in collaboration with the Institute of Policy Studies, ColomboAt present he heads a team of researchers from India, Bangladesh and Nepal to study the “Cross Border Power Trade in South Asia”funded by the ICRIER
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