Chandigarh, March 5:
The Punjab Cabinet on Friday approved the upgradation of Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University and Sardar Beant Singh State University to state-level universities.
The relevant Bills will be tabled in the current Budget Session of the Vidhan Sabha, an official spokesperson said after a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
With the enactment of the Bills, Shaheed Bhagat Singh State Technical Campus, Ferozepur and Beant College of Engineering & Technology, Gurdaspur, would be upgraded as Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Ferozepur and Sardar Beant Singh State University, Gurdaspur respectively. The up-gradation of these engineering colleges as State Universities would enable both these institutes to start multidisciplinary courses with its existing infrastructure, as per the needs of surrounding areas besides improving their financial position.
The Finance Department has approved grant of Rs 45 crore initially for the next 3 years (Rs 15 crore/year) for each of the two universities, which will be mentored by IIT Ropar to attract students, Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi informed the Cabinet. The Chief Minister said the continuation of the grant will be reviewed after 3 years.
These two institutes, set up in 1994 by the state government, have played a major role in the development of Technical Education in the border areas of State of Punjab. They are run by the societies registered under Societies Registration Act of 1860 and all their affairs are looked after by a Board of Governors constituted by the State Government.
