New Delhi: The Government of India will introduce a Bill for setting up an International University, ‘Nalanda University’, in the upcoming Monsoon Session 2010-2011. The Government took this decision in an effort to reintroduce Nalanda as a center of excellence in East and South Asia.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said that the Union Cabinet has allotted approximately Rs 1005 crore for establishing the University, as per the presentation of the legislation. Moreover, the University will work under public-private partnership (PPP) and the Governments of Member States will give funds to the University on voluntary basis.
Once established, the University will have six schools - Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions, Historical Studies, International Relations and Peace Studies, Business Management in relation to Public Policy and Development Studies, Languages and Literature, and Ecology and Environmental Studies.
The proposal of establishing such a university was reached in the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Thailand, in 2009. After that, the External Affairs Ministry was given the assignment for preparing the Nalanda University Bill 2010. As a result, the Planning Commission has already funded Rs 50 crore as special grant to initiate related activities.
