The centenary of Gandhiji’s Satyagraha movement is an appropriate occasion to recall the major human achievements of the last century in conflict resolution and trace the pathways responsible for them. Prominent among them are the end of colonial rule in the Indian sub-continent, the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the success of the U.S.Civil Rights Movement, and the end of Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines. All these seemingly impossible achievements owe their origin to the path of negotiation and non – violence lit by Mahatma Gandhi (Whose first satyagraha was on September 11, 1906) and followed by Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Corazon Aquino. In contrast, violence whether state sponsored or by individuals and groups has mostly resulted in more violence. Recent events in Iraq confirm the futility of the doctrine that ‘might is right’.

Higher education in India is in the process of transition in the face of globalization. Some of the important organizations involved in responding to the challenges of developing a knowledge economy and seeking this transition in higher education are the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Planning Commission and the National Knowledge Commission (NKC). Each of them has its own perspective on what ought to be the future of higher education.

The national Rural Employment guarantee act (NREGA) was part of the commitments made by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in its Common Minimum Programme and came in to force in February 2006-initially in 200 selected districts, at one each one state . It has been hailed as a landmark and has attracted national and international attention. It has diverse objectives. On the one hand it is a social protection measure and builds on the experience of previous public programmes, especially the employment guarantee scheme (EGS) in Maharashtra. On the other hand, through providing guarantee employment in rural areas, it also seeks to improve labour market outcomes. The paper describes the provisions of The national Rural Employment guarantee act (NREGA).