Osmania University in Hyderabad has opened a new Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies. The Ministry of External Affairs’ Ambassador C Rajasekhar said that the Indo-Pacific region is a dynamic area with significant developments taking place, and every nation is focusing on it. He emphasised that the Asia-Pacific region has now transformed into the Indo-Pacific with the rise of Southeast and East Asian countries, along with China and India. This oceanic space connects all these countries, and most of their trade takes place through the Indian and Pacific oceans.
The Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University, Prof. D. Ravinder, who chaired the inaugural function, outlined the efforts being made to give shape to the institute. He explained that the Telangana Planning Board Chairman Vinod Kumar pitched the idea and followed it up with MEA officials. Following a committee of senior professors from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Osmania University recommendations, and other stakeholders had made the new institute possible.
Prof. P. Laxminarayana, Registrar of Osmania University, said that the new centre of research is the only one in India after Jawaharlal Nehru University with a focus on the Indo-Pacific. The Institute covers areas such as security, trade, culture, diaspora, science, and technology with the idea of pooling human and financial resources across institutions, organizations, and borders.
Overall, the Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies at Osmania University has the potential to conduct research and put the university on the global map through its work. The Ministry of External Affairs will support the university in its work.
