“This would increase access to higher education and set exemplary standards for other universities to emulate. It will also help in minimising the regional imbalances in educational facilities,” said Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
The government has recently gave its approval for Revised Cost of Estimate (RCE) for the construction of 13 new central universities, to facilitate completion of the project within 36 months.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the varsities will be constructed in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir (two), Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, for which the previous UPA government had given approval under the Central University Act, 2009.
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While one university each is to be set up in 11 of these states, Jammu and Kashmir will get two new central varsities, as reported by PTI.
“This would increase access to higher education and set exemplary standards for other universities to emulate. It will also help in minimising the regional imbalances in educational facilities,” said Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
Rs 3,600 crore to construct 13 central universities
The cabinet has given its approval for incurring an expenditure of Rs 3,639.32 crore for these universities for recurring cost and creation of necessary infrastructure for completion of the campuses, and alleged that the previous Cabinet during the UPA regime gave approval of Rs 3,000 for the purpose, as reported in a recent IANS report.
The Cabinet has also given ex-post facto approval for an amount of Rs1474.65 crore, being the amount spent over and above the earlier Cabinet approval of Rs 3000 crore for these central universities.
Further, the total estimated cost of the construction of these universities would be Rs 8,113 crore, Piyush Goyal said.
(With inputs from PTI)
