U'khand to set up NIT for Rs 400-500 crore

Focusing on the education sector, the Uttarakhand government has announced setting up of a National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Pauri district at a cost of Rs 400-Rs 500 crore.

Stating this, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told reporters that the government was looking for land in the district for the proposed NIT, which would be the first in the hill state.

Uttarakhand has the privilege of having an IIT at Roorkee. Besides the NIT, a couple of new medical colleges have also been proposed in the state. The government has decided to build two medical colleges at an investment of Rs 200 crore each. Dehra Dun will soon get its first government medical college for which a proposal has already been submitted to the Medical Council of India (MCI). For this purpose, the government is looking for 10-acre land in the city. Already, some possible sites have been identified in this regard. Another government medical college would be built at the hill resort of Almora in Kumaon region for which Nishank recently held “bhoomi pujan.”

Nishank also said his government was contemplating a move to take over the forest trust hospital at Haldwani. With this, the total strength of government medical colleges in the state would go up to four.

The government last year set up its first medical college at Srinagar in Garhwal region, which has already started operation.

Already, two private medical colleges – Shri Mahant Indresh Medical College and Jollygrant Medical College — are functioning in Dehra Dun district.