BENGALURU: THE Jindal Group, which had withdrawn its association with the Bangalore University for the setting up of the then proposed ‘Jindal School of Economics’, has now agreed to join hands for establishing the Ambedkar School of Economics.
The state government had recently announced the setting up of the Ambedkar School of Economics at the Bangalore University’s Jnana Bharati campus and IT Minister Priyank Kharge had approached the Jindal Group and requested them to join hands with the government.
The Jindal Group have agreed in principle to assist the government financially in setting up the school. Minister Priyank Kharge confirmed this to Express.
The school will come up on 50 acres at the Jnana Bharathi campus.
State Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi said, “As this is the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar and he was the first economist, we have decided to set up a school of economics in his name in line with the London School of Economics.”
The Higher Education Department has set up a committee which will submit a detailed report on the process to set up the school. The committee comprises former chief secretary S V Ranganath, economist R S Deshpande and BU Vice-chancellor Dr Thimme Gowda.
The committee has been directed to submit the report before August 15 and the plan is to start the school from the next academic year. “For the first few years, the ASE will be under the supervision of BU, later it will be autonomous,” Rayareddi said.
There and back again
A few months ago, the Jindal Group had announced its withdrawal from the setting up of the Jindal School of Economics, proposed by the Bangalore University. The project was cancelled at the final stage after the Syndicate members of the university raised opposition. While withdrawing from the project, the Jindal Group had clarifed that there was no personal benefit or agenda and that they were investing in the project as part of their corporate social responsibility. They said they were withdrawing from the project as some people in the university had misinterpreted their motive.
Later, then Higher Education Minister T B Jayachandra tried to convince them, but it was not fruitful.