Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said these steps are aimed at protecting national security and stopping religious conversions in educational institutions.
GUWAHATI: The Assam government has introduced new rules for private universities, requiring institutions to obtain security clearance and maintain secular values.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said these steps are aimed at protecting national security and stopping religious conversions in educational institutions.
Referring to the new directives, Sarma explained that each new private university is required to receive clearances from the political and home departments.
He reaffirmed that there must be strictly secular settings of universities and universities are not permitted any direct or indirect religious conversion. The violators of such orders will see their licenses canceled.
The cabinet endorsed these rules to provide more stringent legal enforcement in the education sector. The action is part of the state government’s larger initiatives to oversee private universities and ensure transparency in their functioning.
In spite of bringing these strict regulations, the cabinet has also sanctioned the opening of two new private universities in Sipajhar and Tinsukia. These sanctions are as per the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) that were signed at the recent Advantage Assam 2.0 infrastructure and investment summit, which was aimed at increasing investment and development in the state.
Emphasizing the success of the summit, Sarma attributed a major investment announcement by the Tata Group. He attributed the mammoth response to the summit as a deciding factor for the conglomerate to set up a semiconductor production plant in Jagiroad.
In recognition of the Tata Group’s contributions, the area surrounding the semiconductor facility will be named “Ratan Tata Electronics City, Jagiroad” in honor of the company and its former chairman emeritus, Ratan Tata.
