The 24th meeting of Governing Council for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, Charan Paduka, Katra, was held here in which a number of important decisions were taken for developing this institution as a centre of excellence.The Governing Council discussed a scheme for institutionalising fellowships for the top 5 meritorious students of Shastri classes of the Gurukul for pursuing Acharya or equivalent Post-Graduation Course in Sanskrit, Jyotish, Darshan and Ved streams in the leading institutions of the country. The merit fellowships will be provided to the students for a period of 2 years based on their academic performance during three years of the Shastri Course, including the marks obtained in English. The amount of fellowship to be provided by the Shrine Board will be approx. Rs. 50,000/- per to the meritorious scholar. The draft scheme will be placed before Governor N.N. Vohra, Chairman, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, for consideration and approval.
Sh. B. B. Vyas, Member of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Chairman of the Governing Council for Gurukul, chaired the meeting. Prof. Y. K. Mishra; Prof. Vishwamurti Shastri; Sh. Umang Narula, Principal Secretary to the Governor and Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board; Dr. M. K. Kumar, Additional CEO; Sh. Pankaj Gupta, Dy. CEO and Administrator of Gurukul; Sh. Hem Kant Prasher, Chief Accounts Officer; and Sh. Gopal Dass Sharma, Head Pujari, Bhawan participated in the meeting.Sh. Vyas emphasised the need for preparing a dynamic and inter active website of the Gurukul and hosting all the relevant information including the Vision, Mission and the achievements of this institution. He added that a complete database of the alumni of the Gurukul should be prepared so that they remain connected to their alma mater. He also suggested setting up a smart classroom in the Gurukul for promoting smart learning besides organizing guest lectures by the experts in the relevant fields of knowledge for the benefit of students. He also asked for putting in place a biometric attendance system besides installation of CCTV cameras in the Gurukul.
The Chairman of the Governing Council advised the preparing of a Master Plan for the Gurukul so that future infrastructure development is carried out in a planned manner. The Governing Council desired that the Newsletter of the Gurukul titled “Shambhavi”, be published as an e-magazine to effectively disseminate information about the activities and achievements of this institution.The meeting also decided to organise four refresher courses, 2 each for Pandits and Pujaris from the Shrine Board as well as from other parts of the state, during the current financial year.Presently, 166 students are studying from class 6th to Shastri Class in this fully residential institution which was established by the Shrine Board in 2010. Education, boarding, lodging, books, uniforms etc. are being provided to the students by the Shrine Board totally free of cost. The Gurukul is affiliated to the Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyala, Varanasi.