Minimum land needed to set up pvt varsities in Pb reduced

The minimum land required for setting up private universities in Punjab was on Wednesday reduced by the state government from 35 acres to 25 acres.

The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, said an official spokesperson.

The Cabinet has decided to reduce the minimum land requirement for setting up private universities in the state from 35 to 25 acres, he said.

The move is aimed at boosting the investment in higher education sector, he added.

For the purposes, the Cabinet approved amendments in the Punjab Private University Policy-2010.

While approving requisite changes in the police, the chief minister, however, stressed upon the need to ensure the maintenance of the standards of quality education in private universities.

Some private universities have been offering courses with no practical utility, said Singh during the Cabinet meeting, adding such courses failed to make students employable.

During the meeting, the chief minister also inquired about the progress in the work of the expert committee and the Cabinet sub-committee set up by his government earlier to examine the feasibility of setting up a regulatory authority for private universities in the state.

He was informed that the expert committee has already submitted its report, which would soon 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 spokesperson said.

"The decision has been taken in view of the higher cost of land in Punjab as compared to other states. Besides, it would also be instrumental in retaining the maximum land under agriculture in Punjab, which is pre-dominantly an agrarian state, the spokesperson said.

The Punjab Private University Policy-2010 was formulated to expand infrastructure in the higher education sector by the private organisations across the state.

The article 4.5 (iii) of this policy, earlier stipulated a minimum of 35 acres of land for setting up a Private university.