Shri Arjun Singh lays the Foundation Stone of the Central University of Haryana
	21:13 IST

Shri Arjun Singh, Union Minister of Human Resource Development, today laid the Foundation Stone of the Central University of Haryana at village Jant Palli in district Mahendra Garh. With this the Central Government has fulfilled one of the long-cherished demands of Haryana. Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda, presided over the function. Haryana Government has agreed to provide 500 acres of land free of cost for setting up this Central University. The decision to pick the site in Mahendergarh was taken in view of the fact that this district is comparatively educationally backward and setting up of such an institute will help address the problemof regional imbalance. Appreciating the role of Haryana Government in expanding the horizons of Higher Education in the State, Shri Arjun Singh said that besides establishing this Central University in Haryana, the Central Government will also be establishing an IIM in Rohtak district. Also the State will be given financial assistance to open Degree Colleges in those 7 districts of Haryana where the GER is below the National Average. Also the Central Government is providing for establishing Polytechnics in 7 districts of the state under a new scheme. In this regard Rs. 2 crore have already been released for two districts, Shri Arjun Singh said. The Government of India in its Eleventh Plan has given a major thrust to education. The Central Government has taken several initiatives in respect of new institution building. These include setting up of 30 new Central Universities, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, eight new IITs, seven new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), two new Schools of Planning & Architecture (SPAs), 10 new National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and 20 new IIITs. A very high priority has been accorded to the education sector and a ten fold increase has been provided in the budgetary outlays for the higher education during the XIth Plan as compared to Xth Plan. -------------------------- KKP/ska