Lok Sabha on Friday passes a Bill that seeks to establish a central university in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The bill has been witnessing opposition protests over the alleged snooping by Pegasus spyware and other issues. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Central Universities Bill, 2021 (Amendment),  amid a clamour by opposition members over the Pegasus spying row and farmers’ issue.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said every year, about 7,000 students go out of Ladakh for study and with the establishment of the central university, about 2,500 students will get the opportunity to study there.  And therefore “We want to set up a central university in Ladakh. It is a happy coincidence that the bill is being brought on the second anniversary of the scrapping of Article 370,” he said.

 “Under that commitment, we have given Ladakh a Union Territory status and going to set up the Sindhu central university at a cost of Rs 760 crore,” he said.

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill, piloted by the education Minister, currently, there is no central university in Ladakh and hence, the government has decided to establish a new central university there to ensure increase in accessibility and quality of higher education, and to facilitate and promote avenues of higher education and research for the people of the Union territory.

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