By IANS,
Ahiran (West Bengal): Classes in the Aligarh Muslim University’s (AMU) campus in this rural belt of Murshidabad district will start from January, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Saturday.
“The classes will begin from this academic year itself in January. The AMU will initially work out of a big rented building which also has residential facilities for students,” Mukherjee said after laying the foundation stone of the campus here, about 60 km from district headquarters Bahrampur.
He said the AMU campus would go a long way in increasing education standards in the backward district as it will impart education from the nursery to the post-doctoral level.
Mukherjee said the project report was complete and while he had granted a budgetary support of Rs.25 crore, the human resource development ministry has sanctioned another Rs.25 crore for the campus.
“(A total of) 265 acres have been earmarked and handed over to the university authorities for the project with help from the state government and union water resources ministry. I want a very modern first grade campus. We want to set up an educational complex for higher education that will benefit the people of eastern India,” he said.
Describing knowledge and education as the main ingredients for ushering in comprehensive development of all sections of people, he said: “The faster we can reach high standards of education to the people, the faster will the nation go forward”.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said the full-fledged university campus will be set up gradually.
“We are proud to have the Aligarh Muslim University here. It is a big name as an institute for the Muslims with 30,000 students, 1700 professors, 325 courses and 95 departments. When the Murshidabad campus comes up, it will help in expanding education in our state”.
“In our state we have tried every way to make education modern and secular. Aligarh Muslim University’s education system is also developed, modern and secular. We want such a university,” he added.