Parliament passes bill to establish Central Tribal University in Telangana

New Delhi [India]: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill aimed at establishing a Central Tribal University in Telangana for providing higher education and research facilities primarily for the tribal population.

The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed unanimously through a voice vote after the Opposition earlier walked out of the house in the middle of the debate over the security breach issue in the lower house. Two persons jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour and released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.

The bill was already passed by the Lok Sabha on December 7. It was introduced in the lower house on December 4. It amended the Central Universities Act, 2009.

As the Bill establishes a Central Tribal University in Telangana, it will be named the ‘Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University’. Its territorial jurisdiction will extend to Telangana. It will provide avenues of higher education and research facilities primarily for the tribal population of India.

It is pertinent to note that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, provides that the central government will establish a Tribal University in Telangana.

Responding to the debate on the bill, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government aimed to establish Central Tribal University in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Regarding the delay in the university’s establishment in Telangan, Pradhan attributed it to the time taken by the Telangana government to identify a suitable location for the institution.

He stated that the ‘Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University’ will incur an expenditure of approximately Rs 900 crore.

Pradhan also highlighted significant growth in Ph.D. course registrations, with an 81 per cent increase from 2014-15 to 2021-22, totalling over two lakh registrations. Notably, women’s enrollment in Ph.D. courses surged by 106 per cent during the same period.

Emphasising the government’s commitment to filling vacancies in higher education institutes, Pradhan revealed that over 11 thousand posts out of 18 thousand vacant positions have been filled in the last two months. Additionally, he announced the government’s mandate for NAAC accreditations for all higher institutions.

The passage of the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023, reflects a significant stride towards providing accessible and quality education for the tribal population in India.