We at The Scholars’ Avenue interacted with Garvit Anand, and here is what he had for us.
- Why do you want to become the Vice- President, TSG?
The VP is supposed to handle the 3 major facets- the affairs of Technology Students’ Gymkhana, the affairs of Placement Committee and Student Welfare being a part of the student senate. Throughout my stay at IIT Kharagpur, I’ve noticed a scope of improvement in all these three areas and believe that with proper amount of effort and determination, things can change drastically. I will be the backhand of all the administrative work and will be involved in negotiating and implementation of measures.
2. Have you ever been in a position where you had to negotiate with the admin?
I was the head of Finance and Logistics at Entrepreneurship Cell, IIT Kharagpur. I was hence, the backhand of all the events of the cell. My work also involves constant negotiations with the administrative staff and that has given me a fair idea of how things work around here.
3. Do you think that all the ambitious proposals that you’ve come up with will be taken well by the administration and not fall through as has happened a lot of times previously?
Just because any proposal might not be taken well by the administration does not mean that you don’t strive towards it. As a student representative, it is a job of a VP to push the administration in such a way that all the proposals are implemented and we need a guy who holds that caliber.
4. Do you think you’re better than the last VP or last 5 VPs who couldn’t complete their proposals because of administrative barriers?
No, I don’t think I’m better than them. I come here with a vision and I plan on executing them. Moreover, I believe that the mindsets of the consecutive VPs need to align so that rather than pursuing independent goals, a continued effort can be made for betterment of student community. Rather than just completing small fragments of work that we bring in as ‘proposals’, I think it is important to complete the previous works and make sure that all the initiatives taken for the development of KGP are carried through. Projects shouldn’t be left midway and proper coordination must exist between all the previous VP’s because we’re here for more than just a name on a certificate.
5. What are the proposals of the current VP that you plan to carry out to its completion?
A few proposals of Vishal are still in the pipeline and I’d actively work towards their fulfillment. Stating one of them is Gender Inclusion Proposal which allows the girls and boys the freedom of entering each others’ halls before a specific period of time. This is already into existence in a lot of other IITs and it did receive positive response. If elected, I’ll take this up in the student senate. Apart from this, he also implemented ‘Ashray’, which is a fund from which students can withdraw monetary support if they plan to go on an FT. He had also proposed a post-graduate induction program because PG population isn’t aware of a lot of opportunities. These proposals, being unimplemented, fall upon the shoulders of the next Vice President and it’s his responsibility to make sure that these aren’t neglected.
6. What do you think is a major problem with KGP right now?
Firstly, I believe that it’s security. I feel revamping the security system is an urgent need and that’s not a place where we can hope for overnight results. Secondly, the placements for the PG students needs immediate attention. I wouldn’t deny that PG placements have improved over days but a lot still needs to be done in this regard. Third would be the hygiene and optimization of mess food. I have proposals to address these issues and would be happy to move on to them.
7. Given that you consider it as a first issue, what sort of security issues are you talking about? Are you aware of the recent changes and revamping of security services?
I personally believe that IIT Kharagpur isn’t as upto the mark on campus security as are the campuses of Bombay and Delhi. People and extra vehicles are allowed to enter the gates more leniently than they should. There is also a lack of strict checking and proper documentation of the vehicles that pass through the gate. Tap-in or reference cards should do more good in this regard.
I’m aware that recently the timings for students to leave the gates has been extended to 10 PM to 5 AM and there has been a hike in the number of CCTV cameras across campus. Motorbikes have been seized across campus and I believe that it was immediately needed.
8. What sets you apart from the other candidates?
Every candidate that is contesting for this post has a vision but feel I can execute the things I put forth. Rather than trying to push people to see me as a distinguishing entity, I’d want them to see my zeal and dedication.
9. Why should I vote for you?
Whatever I’m promising is definitely going to be on ground and there shouldn’t be anything more important than that.