‘Crucial for region’s ’emotional integration’: Centre moves bill for Central University in Ladakh

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A bill seeking to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009, to provide for the establishment of a university in Ladakh was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The university, said the government, will be crucial for the region’s emotional integration with the rest of the country and will send out a message of solidarity to Ladakh with China creating “mischief” at the borders. 

According to the statement of objects, the bill seeks to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009, to provide for the establishment of a University in the name of “Sindhu Central University” in Ladakh.

For the university, nearly 110 acres of land in Khaltsi village between Leh and Kargil have been identified.

As per the estimates, a budgetary provision of Rs 750 crore will be required over the next seven years to meet the expenditure on the establishment of the university.

But before taking the final decision, the government intends to carry out consultations with experts and local administration.

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The Union education ministry said that around 4,000 students are estimated to be pursuing higher education outside Ladakh and having a Central University in the region would provide them quality education within their UT.

The newly-established central universities have been planned with a strength of 2,500 students after a period of seven years.

A brief by the government said that as students, faculty members, and their families from the rest of the country would be visiting the institution, it will act as a catalyst for the “emotional integration” of this region.

It also underlined that the establishment of the institution will also help in convincing the people of Ladakh that “the entire country is standing with them, especially at a time when China is trying to create mischief at our borders”.

The ministry clarified that the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh & Kargil were of the view that Ladakh should opt for a separate central university rather than merging it with the existing university for Ladakh.