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Project Title: Unbeatable Air Pollution in Delhi

Principle Investigators

1. Dr.D.K. Mallick, Sr.Assistant Professor, Department of Botany

2. Dr.Aparna Nautiyal, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany

3. Dr.Aparna Shekhar, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

Mentor

Dr. Chirashree Ghosh, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi

Student Members

Ambikeya Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma, Nima Sunny, Payal Shaw, Priyanka Sharma, Tanujeet Ghosh, Sangraj, Vrashti Goel, Sharad Negi, Vikas Kumar

Deshbandhu College was awarded 12 innovation projects under DU Innovation Project Scheme 2015-2016. Each project has 10 undergraduate students of Deshbandhu College working under 3 faculty members and one external mentor. The projects provided the students from different backgrounds and discipline a space to explore new things, work in a team, develop confidence, experiment with innovative ideas and broaden their horizons beyond the classrooms and curriculum.

Urban air pollution is a serious problem in both developed and developing countries. As a rapidly expanding center of government, trade, commerce and industry, Delhi, being the capital of India has been facing many air pollution related problems and has also been ranked the most polluted city in the world. Regular checking of the tolerance of the existing tree species with respect to pollution and plantations of such more tolerant species is supposed to have a marked effect on various aspects of the air quality of urban environment and cleanliness of life in a city.

The Project DBC-311 entitled Unbeatable Air Pollution in Delhi: Trees for Rescue is a comparative study of different plant species to combat rising pollution in Delhi. The Air Pollution Tolerance Index(APTI) of the plants needs to be monitored and checked for the predominant species that are located in this city. The research takes into account the ATPI value of 4 tolerant species, each of which are planted in the 4 distinct areas- R.K. Puram, Deer Park, Okhla and Nehru Palace, which are being used for the green belt planning, plant five samples of different species at these sites and after a certain period of time visit them again to analyze the amount of chlorophyll deducted during this time period as a result of increasing pollution.

The research shows that apart from the beauty provided by them, the trees also play a major role in detoxification of the polluted air. Also, the study of different land use site will help in making the city comparatively cleaner. In order to understand the effect of air pollution on plants and the adaption mechanisms of plants and the adaptation mechanisms of plants under stress conditions, present study is based on the idea of integration of two departments, viz., Botany and Chemistry to examine the impact of air pollution on a few commonly occurring tree species of Delhi.

The project was started in September 2015 and half the project has been done till March 2016 and yet more investigation is going on. The outcome of this project will generate further understanding about how efficient the existing plant species in the city are to combat the rising air pollution, so that strategies can be formulated and implemented not only to protect the existing species but also to look for more tolerant species to be planted. Different sites within Delhi have been surveyed for selected plant species to find out the effect of rising pollution in Delhi over the years.

Shreya Srivastava

[email protected]

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Innovation Projects

Students of PGDAV College study Jan Dhan Yojana in their innovation project

By Riya Chhibber March 15, 2016

Innovation projects, an undergraduate research initiative by Delhi University witnesses a plethora of project entries from different colleges each year. One of the many Innovation Projects for the session of 2015-2016 approved by the University of Delhi is an assessment of Pradhan Mantri Jhan Dhan Yojana and the need for financial inclusion. The project titled ‘Jan Dhan Yojana and Financial Inclusion’, the aim of the project is to study how financial inclusion broadens the resource base of the financial system by encouraging a culture of savings among large segment of rural population. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 August 2014. This is a National Mission on Financial Inclusion encompassing an integrated approach to bring about comprehensive financial inclusion of all the households in the country.

According to Chandrasekhar, a student involved with the project, “We are collecting both primary and secondary data. We are doing a literature review as well as conducting surveys to know on the ground reality regarding the effectiveness of PMJDY. We have prepared questionnaires for both the beneficiaries of the PMJDY Scheme and the bankers who implement the scheme in order to understand the information asymmetry that has arisen in the implementation of the Scheme.”

The project has a pan Indian character as it covers the five states of Delhi NCR, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The project aims to study the present scenario of financial inclusion of rural and urban households and assess the major factors affecting the implementation of PMJDY and its implications. It seeks to provide incentives to business and banking correspondents who serve as a link for the last mile between savings account holders as the bank by fixing a minimum monthly reward of Rs. 5000. Some special features include interest on deposit, provision of overdraft facility, no minimum balance required, life insurance cover of 30,000 for customers till 26 January 2016, beneficiaries of Government Schemes will get Direct Benefit Transfer in these accounts and access to pension, Rupay Debit Card and insurance products.

According to Zohaib, a student involved with the project, “It has emerged that many beneficiaries of the Scheme are not aware about the provisions of the PMJDY Scheme. There is a glaring information gap which acts a major obstacle to the effective implantation of the Scheme. A large majority of the customers are illiterate and thus, confused about the various provisions of the Scheme and the terms and conditions attached to the provisions of the Scheme.”

The project is being carried out under the leadership of Principal investigator, Dr. Manoj Kumar Sinha and Co-investigators including- Dr. Giridhar Gopal Sharma, Dr. Abhay Prasad Singh, Dr. Rajni Jagota, Mr. Chhetan Chhoidub. Some of the students involved in the project are SVD Chandrasekhar, Aakash Trivedi, Mohammad Zohaib Belal, Kapil Lamba, Tavishi Gupta, Sneh Yadav, Manit Aggarwal, Pooja Aghi, Srishti Puri and Yash Gupta.

Submitted by Innovation Project team from PGDAV College

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Features

IPCW Innovation Project ’15-’16: Outreach program for govt. school students

By DU Beat March 14, 2016

Indraprastha College for Women’s current Innovation Project (IP-301) under the aegis of University of Delhi is a community outreach program for government school children. It aims to devise favourable circumstances for young, budding intellects to interact with the community on a regular basis, with activities which are carried out from time to time. A series of workshops and activities, led by the students of Indraprastha College for Women are conducted in two government schools. The school children are trained in the fields of Gender Sensitization, Disaster Management, and Library Management. The decision of choosing such off-stream topics was that these issues pertain to one’s involvement in the community, in the form of a citizen, a rescuer and a scholar. Also, students are enlightened about issues pertaining to such fields which keep their rational wheels churning, without losing their interest and grip, and at the same time, making sure that they are not missing out on anything that is being taught.

This project is a one-year long program, which is being carried out by ten students namely: Asmita Jagwani, Divya Tripathi, Aishwarya Shri, Anamika Das, Ateka Hasan, Shayda, Musharrat Parveen, Pinki, D. Saran Prakash, and Nihita Kumari. The project is being carried out under the guidance of three internal mentors, the Personal Investigators of the project, namely: Dr. Jyoti Trehan Sharma , Dr. Harsh Bala Sharma and Mr. Vijay Gautam.
So far, two phases of the project have been concluded with one more remaining. School children in 9th-12th standards have been enlightened about ways to react against gender discrimination in the community, important steps to be taken when faced with disasters, the functioning of the library and many such significant facts pertaining to the three fields undertaken. The project is being carried out with an expectation that school children will, in future, bring all the knowledge gained through this project into implementation, and share it further.
With much hardwork and dedication displayed by the project members, and high levels of enthusiasm received from school children in return, there is certainly a hope that, this program is a step towards an improvement in the community.

Write up by Asmita Jagwani and Ateka Hasan, IP College for Women

Image Credits: Ateka Hasan and Asmita Jagwani

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College of Vocational Studies

Innovation Project 2015-16: College Of Vocational Studies

By Sudisha Misra February 4, 2016

Project name – Innovating College Placements: The Challenges and Changing Dynamics with the Industry

Project Coordinator – Dr. Gauri Mishra, Ms. Anuradha Bawa Singh, Dr. Anu Satyal

Names of students participating – Aishwarya Jha, Charanjit Singh, Gitika Dua, Deepesh Aggarwal, Divyansh Madan, Ritesh Sinha, Ishita Ahuja, Shubhangi Goyal, Fatima Mubarak, Kannupriya Gaur

The team of students from the College of Vocational Studies (CVS) has launched an innovation project to show that the process of placement carried out in Delhi University needs to undergo a substantial amount of change, in order to match the level of the process carried out in foreign universities. The research process focuses on innovating and redefining the parameters of the placement programs in colleges under the Delhi University.

The research project will study the scenario in selected colleges of the university and the Central Placement Cell, by taking the College of Vocational Studies placement cell ‘ASPIRE’ as its pilot study and try to find better standards of operation in the placement process. The Central Placement Cell of the University, although successful, is not operating to its full potential. The gaps need to be filled and a better response in terms of competing with the best universities needs to be created.

The study, now in its analysis stage, plans to conduct two kinds of survey to assess the factors related to college placements. The first survey will be conducted on the students of University of Delhi, the pilot survey studying the needs and aspirations of the student as far as the industry is concerned, the kind of jobs being offered and the pay packages being given. The second survey will study the Industry trends of hiring students of University of Delhi.

According to Aishwarya Jha, a student involved with the project, “A student might disagree, but the major goal of every student taking admission in college is getting placed, be it immediately or after a few years. We don’t think there aren’t any job opportunities. We believe there is only a need to establish a successful interface between the candidate and the company. And we have planned to do just that.”

The students plan to use both qualitative and quantitative techniques of data analysis. A structured questionnaire and unstructured interviews of the respondents, both will be used.

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College of Vocational Studies

Innovation Projects 2015-2016: Students of CVS assess upcoming tourist sites in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur

By DU Beat October 7, 2015

Project name: Assessment of emerging attractions in the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra and Jaipur).

Principal investigator: Dr. Kumar Ashutosh.

Co-investigators: Mr. Anand and Ms. Rekha.

Student Members: Ayesha, Harshit Shinghal, Ketan Bhatt, Megha Mittal, Kajol Chhabra, Hritik Kukreja, Simran Bajaj, Rohan Sharma, Kriti, Amal Augustine.

One of the 300 Innovation Projects for the session of 2015-2016 approved by University of Delhi is an assessment of emerging attractions in the Golden Triangle. The project, one of College of Vocational Studies’ multiple projects, aims at working towards the development of attractions in the Golden Triangle which consists of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Due to its immense significance in Indian tourism, there is a need to reassess and improve in this geographical area.

According to Ayesha Zia, a student involved with the project, “Lately there have been no modifications in the existing attractions of the Golden Triangle. Consequently, tourists are not inclined to visit the same place which has nothing more to offer. However, it is not like there are no upcoming attractions in the golden triangle, but due to lack of initiative, the area is not developing fast.”

Therefore, the project aims at revisiting, researching and re-creating aspects of the rich cultural heritage of this triangle. For instance, Ameer Fort’s empty Sheesh Mahal, Deewan-e-Aam and Deewan-e-Khaas will be added more life to by recreating the aura of the era through thrones, chairs and carpets of those times. In addition to creating a blueprint of that era, the team will also work on identifying and locating secondary attractions on the road for the tourists whilst their travel. They are also working on implementing the oft ignored UN code of ethics at various tourist spots. The innovation project team has teachers and students of various departments like tourism, economics and commerce working together.

This innovation project, in the words of Dr. Kumar Ashutosh, will come up with viable options to increase the value of the Golden Triangle. This will also identify how to give maximum satisfaction to the tourist visiting an important circuit of India. The plan of action has been articulated already. Infact, Ayesha Zia a student of Marketing and Management of Insurance is very excited about the project and has already initiated collecting the data on these three places. Students will also be making visits in person to identify some yet-unnoticed tourist treasures in the area.

If you or anyone you know is participating in an Innovation Project, drop us an e-mail and we’d love to feature it!

Over 300 Innovation Projects shortlisted by the University this year

By Shaurya Sahai September 5, 2015

The Innovation Project Scheme which was initiated by the University of Delhi back in 2012 has proved to be an inevitable part of the University since then. With the objective of instilling an urge for innovative ideas in the students of the university, this scheme has managed to grab the attention and interests of the students and faculty. The project requires students to work in a group of 10 along with three faculty members, and a mentor and submit the proposal of a project that they wish to undertake. According to the university, “The desired goal must have some reasonably clear real world application or orientation.”

The university funds each project with a maximum of 10 lakh rupees depending upon the budgetary needs of the project. This also includes a monthly stipend of Rs.1,000 for each student of the team. Almost half of the grants are released in the first phase of the projects. Then each project is evaluated after a period of time. Only if the university sees any potential in the project at that point of time, the other half of the grants is released. The university also states that “the proposals with a promise to be an entrepreneurial venture and with the possibility of an industrial outcome may be submitted as a business plan and may involve a mentor from the industry from the inception of the project.”

More than 300 projects have been shortlisted this year by the University. Various innovation projects will be displayed at the cultural fest of Delhi University, Antardhwani ‘16.

Some of the projects that have been selected for this edition are-

Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College	Impact of Social Media on Indian Democracy
Cluster Innovation Centre	Weaving Dreams for Destitutes
Hans Raj College	Device for Uniquely Abled (DUA)
Jesus and Mary College	Psychological, Commercial and Legal Fight of Aged Consumers for Consumer Rights: A Self-Help Group Technique
Kirori Mal College	KMC MARS ROVER helping astronauts in exploration of the Red Planet Mars
Miranda House College	Business Ethics: Business Leadership in Bhagwad Gita