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Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Polity & Governance
  • Published
    5th Aug, 2022

Context

Recently, the Lok Sabha passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2022 for conversion of the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI).

  • The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009 for setting up of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV).


Key-features

  • Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya:  The Bill seeks to convert the National Rail and Transportation Institute, Vadodara (a deemed university) to the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, which will be a central university.  
    • The National Rail and Transportation Institute was declared a deemed university under the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.  
    • The Vishwavidyalaya will be sponsored and funded by the central government through the Ministry of Railways.  
  • Scope of education: The Bill provides that Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya will take measures to provide quality teaching, research, and skill development in disciplines related to transportation, technology, and management.  
    • If required, the University may also establish centres in India and abroad. 
    • The establishment of the Vishwavidyalaya will address the need of trained talent in the transportation sector.

About the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya

  • The Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya is envisioned to be a key enabler for expanding the transportation sector which is strategically critical for India’s economic growth and development. 
  • The sector requires a stable supply of highly trained personnel and state-of-the-art technology. 
  • The scope of the university will extend beyond the Railways to cover the entire transport sector to support its ambitious growth and modernisation.

About National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI)

  • NRTI is the first transport institute of India. 
  • It was set up as a deemed to be university and has been operational since 2018 and is India’s first to focus on transport-related education, multidisciplinary research and training.
  • It is specifically established to create a resource pool of best-in-class professionals for the railway and transportation sector through institutional partnerships for collaborating on developing curriculum, research projects and executive education programs.
  • It aims to develop interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence, bringing together academicians, scientists and engineers from various backgrounds and plans to leverage its academic and industry partnerships and collaborations.
  • It is located in Vadodara, Gujarat, inside the 55-acre campus of National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), which is the apex training institute of the Ministry of Railways. 
    • Its permanent campus is likely to shift in Waghodiya taluka of Vadodara in near future. For this purpose, land acquisition has started.

Verifying, please be patient.