Parliament passes bill for second central varsity in Bihar

Parliament Tuesday passed a bill to establish a second central university in Bihar.

The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which has been passed by Lok Sabha, was passed by Rajya Sabha Tuesday.

Moving the bill for passage, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said the amendment was a reflection of "voice from the people of Bihar".

The statement of objects and reasons of the bill states that it seeks to set up a central university in Bihar, in addition to the existing one, as the large-scale requirement of access to, and quality in, higher education was not being met by just one university in the state.

It also changes the name of the existing institution to Central University of South Bihar, as it is located south of the river Ganga.

The new central university will be called Mahatma Gandhi Central University, and will be located in Motihari in East Champaran, north of the river Ganga.