CHANDIGARH: With soaring land prices in the state, Punjab government has decided to reduce the minimum land requirement for setting up private universities from 35 to 25 acres.
The move, which is aimed at boosting investment in higher education, will also be instrumental in retaining maximum land under agriculture in Punjab which is predominantly an agrarian state.
The state cabinet had approved an amendment to the Punjab Private University Policy 2010.
The information from the other states shows the corresponding land requirement for establishing private universities there varies from 10 acres to 50 acres. For instance, in Haryana, it is 20 acres outside municipal limits and 10 acres within municipal limits.
In Himachal Pradesh, the minimum land requirement to establish a private university is 10 acres, Rajasthan 30 acres, Madhya Pradesh 20 acres. In Maharashtra, 50 acres is required to set up a private university in a rural area, 25 acres in Tehsil or District Headquarters, 15 acres in Divisional Headquarters and 10 acres in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Chief Minister Amarinder, however, stressed on the need to ensure that quality education standards are maintained in the private universities. Some private universities were offering courses that had no practical utility and failed to make students employable. He inquired about the progress of the expert committee and the cabinet sub-committee set up by his government to study the possibility of setting up a regulatory authority for private universities in the state.
He was informed that the expert committee had submitted its report which would be sent to the cabinet sub-committee for its recommendations and further action.
The amendment approved today by the cabinet would be subject to further clauses under the policy, including submission of proof of ownership of a minimum of 25 acres of land, or as per the norms of the concerned Central regulatory body, whichever is higher, in one contiguous chunk.
The Punjab Private University Policy-2010 was formulated to expand infrastructure in the higher education sector by the private organisations across the state. As per Article 4.5 (iii) of this policy, the minimum land required for establishing a Private University was 35 acres.