By IANS
Jaipur : Rajasthan is poised at the threshold of a major technical education boom. Thirty new engineering colleges will start functioning in the state when the next academic session opens March-April, the state education department said Thursday.
With the opening of these institutes, the number of seats in technical education colleges is expected to increase by 4,500. “We will grant permission to 30 engineering colleges before the start of the new academic session,” state education minister Vasudev Devnani told IANS. In August last year, the state government approved 18 new engineering colleges in the state.
Ten of the proposed colleges are private enterprises to be located in Baran, Churu, Dholpur, Dungarpur, Hnumangarh, Jaisalmer, Pali, Sawai Madhopur, Sirohi and Tonk.
At present, the state has 48 engineering colleges in the state, excluding the ones that were given permission in August last year. Of these 48 colleges, seven are public sector institutes and 41 privately run. Together, they account for 16,000 seats.
Besides opening of new colleges, several existing engineering colleges in Jaipur are also planning to set up branches in other parts of the state, sources added. “In the coming years, Rajasthan will emerge as a prominent IT destination with an army of qualified engineers. This is because more industries are inclined to set shop in Rajasthan,” an official of the technical education department said.
The government will provide 10 acres of land to an institute or person who wants to set up technical schools in the 20 districts that do not have technical education facilities.
“Rajasthan will be way ahead of the national average of 48 engineering seats for every 100,000 students after the 20 institutes are set up,” an official said.Twenty self-financing private universities are also awaiting clearance from the state government. Most of these universities will be established in Jaipur and Alwar districts. Sources said at least 14 universities would be set up in these two districts.
These universities run various technical and non-technical courses, including medicine, information technology, financial management, homoeopathy and various other technical subjects. The state government has already given permission to five private universities to set up shop in the state.
A senior education department official said if plans go right, these universities will get the green light. The proposed investment for every university is Rs. 500 million to Rs. 1.50 billion.