Monthly Archives: February 2016

IIT Kanpur alumnus given key World Bank position

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, World Opinion
Saroj Kumar Jha is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur. (Photo courtesy: Jha’s Twitter handle)
Saroj Kumar Jha is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur. (Photo courtesy: Jha’s Twitter handle)

An Indian has been appointed to a key position in the World Bank with President Jim Young Kim assigning him a role to provide strategic leadership to address the challenge of fragility, conflict and violence.

Saroj Kumar Jha is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Jha till last week was World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia based in Almaty since February 2012.

Jha assumed the position of Senior Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group at the World Bank yesterday.

Jha has been tasked by World Bank President Jim Young Kim to provide strategic leadership to address the challenge of fragility, conflict and violence, working across the Bank Group and in close collaboration with partners.

An Indian national, Jha joined the World Bank in 2005 as a Senior Infrastructure Specialist in the Sustainable Development Network, after significant experience with the Indian Government and the United Nation’s Development Program (UNDP) as a senior executive in the field of public sector management, infrastructure financing, natural resources management, natural disaster prevention and environmental sustainability.

He supported transformative innovations in regional cooperation, water and energy security, social safety nets, inclusive governance and grievance redress mechanisms in various regions of the world.

Earlier, Jha worked as the World Bank’s Global Manager for Disaster Risk Management Practice.

He also served as head of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, now the world’s largest global fund for disaster prevention and post-disaster recovery operations.

In addition, he has led international response efforts to many global catastrophic disasters, the bank said.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home / PTI, Washington / February 02nd, 2016

Student’s struggle rewarded with seven medals

Education

Lucknow :

He cycled 20 kilometres every day for five years to pursue studies. For 22-year-old Ajendra Pal, Sunday was the unforgettable day he received seven gold medals at Lucknow University’s convocation. Having secured 77% marks in MSc physics, son of a farmer Ajendra, said, “I am on cloud nine. It’s a dream come true. There can be nothing more satisfying than this for my family.”

Ajendra now intends to pursue research from The University of KIEL, Germany. He has already been shortlisted for German scholarship. Elated over Ajendra’s success, his sister who recently got job of a patent examiner, Archana said, “He has worked hard and his efforts are reaping fruits. We hope he clears the final interview and get enrolled to the German University.”

Hailing from Hanumanpur village in Sitapur, Ajendra’s journey to success was no cakewalk. While his father remains on the farms, Ajendra lives in Lucknow with his mother and sister.

“The crop this year is bad. We have lost almost 80% of wheat and pulses and God knows how we will manage ” said Ajay Pal, Ajendra’s father, whose annual income is around Rs 50,000 per annum.

When Ajendra completed his school with 88% marks in clss XII, his father had no idea of how to fund his higher studies. Help came in when Ajendra was selected for the DST-INSPIRE scholarship, giving his father a sigh of relief. In LU, he started taking tuitions to fund to lend a helping hand to his family.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / February 01st, 2016