CM announces setting up of two universities

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced setting up of two universities named after Baba Saheb Ambedkar while the second one will be named as Jai Hind University.

While addressing the felicitation programme, Banerjee said: "I propose setting up of a university for the students from minority community and it will be named after Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Another university will be set up that will be named after the slogan "Jai Hind" as a respect to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose."

The announcement of the Chief Minister to set up a university named after Baba Saheb Ambedkar, who fought for the Dalits and the down trodden, comes crucial when she has vehemently criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for its alleged "indifference" that led to the death of the 19-year-old Dalit woman after being allegedly raped and police cremated her body keeping her parents locked in their house.

In the past nine years, the state government has ensured setting up of many universities those are named after Mahtama Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Birsa Munda Tribal University as well. Universities are also coming up in districts including Alipurduar, South Dinajpur and Jhargram.

This comes when the Mamata Banerjee government has taken a series of steps for the development of the Dalits. Recently, she has set up a Dalit Sahitya Academy to spread Dalit literature and also handed over Rs 5 crore to its chairman Dalit littereateur Manoranjan Byapari.

While interacting with the students during the virtual felicitation programme, Banerjee assured all support to the students and also assured of meeting them once the Covid situation normalises.

Each of the meritorious students, those ranked first to tenth, were encouraged by the state government by giving them a laptop, a watch, a certificate and 41 books.

Some of the students narrated how the projects including Kanyashree helped them to move ahead with their studies and they also informed the Chief Minister about their aim to be WBCS officers, doctors and space scientists. The Chief Minister also informed them about her government's plan of giving them opportunity to 500 students every year to undertake internship in the grassroot level in its different projects that will open an avenue for a better future for the students.