3 groups approach state to set up pvt universities

Weeks after the state government notified model guidelines for private institutions to set up universities, three big groups have put forward their proposals to the higher and technical education department.

Higher and technical education minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday that proposals to set up private universities were received from the DY Patil group, the MIT group and the Rai Foundation in the past couple of weeks.

The proposals will be scrutinized by a committee headed by the principal secretary in the higher and technical education department and if these fulfil the eligibility criteria, they will be given a letter of intent.

Tope said that the launch of private universities would attract many students even from outside Maharashtra. “Students will flock to Maharashtra after dedicated law universities are established in Aurangabad and Mumbai. Also, the Indian Institute of Information Technology is being set up in Pune and Nagpur,” the minister said.

The DY Patil group, which appears to have been the first to make a proposal, wants to conduct innovative courses such as automobile design and media. DY Patil is governor of Bihar and the day-to-day affairs of the group are managed by his son Dr Ajeenkya Patil. The group is also engaged in activities beyond education, like healthcare, agribusiness, media and consultancy. It is based in Navi Mumbai.

The Pune-based Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) proposes to conduct courses in nano sciences, life sciences and nanotechnology. MIT was started by educationist and social worker Dr Vishwanath Karad as the Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Education Research nearly three decades ago.  

Details about the proposal by the Rai Foundation were not immediately available. Rai is a multi-campus college that offers various courses in disciplines of engineering, management and mass communications. Similarly, the other two groups have several institutes offering courses in various disciplines.

Tope said the government would “ensure that the private universities come up with proposals for new and innovative courses. We do not want them to come up with conventional courses. There are enough checks in place. If a proposal for setting up a university does not fulfil all criteria, the scrutiny committee can reject it,” the minister said.

According to the model guidelines that were notified on May 29, 2013, private groups applying to set up universities must have at least 25 acres of land if it is to be located in tehsil or district headquarters, 15 acres in a division headquarters or at least 10 acres in a metropolis like Mumbai.

The move to allow private universities was put forward by industrialist Mukesh Ambani a couple of years ago. Tope has been quoted as saying that Ambani is keen to set up an institute along the lines of Harvard University in the state. 

PRIVATE INITIATIVE
The model guidelines for opening of private universities were notified by the state government on May 29, 2013.

The guidelines were approved by the state Cabinet in April, after a Private Universities Bill had to be scrapped following controversy over caste reservations. The new guidelines stipulate 50% reservations for backward classes.

The guidelines provide for a private organisation to set up a university on a no-profit, no-loss basis, along with a trust or society.

Each proposal will be scrutinised by a committee headed by the principal secretary for higher and technical education, and if it is accepted,  a separate bill will be drafted by the department for each such private university and put before the state legislature.