Srinagar, Jul 27 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir has two Central Universities, while neighbouring Union Territory of Ladakh has one, with Sindhu Central University being among the two new Central Universities established in the country during the last five years, the Government of India (GoI) informed Parliament on Monday.
Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Education Dr Sukanta Majumdar, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said there are 57 Central Universities currently operational in the country, of which 47, excluding the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Education.
The ministry said all Central Universities are statutory autonomous institutions established under Acts of Parliament and are empowered to take academic and administrative decisions through their respective statutory bodies.
According to the annexure to the parliamentary reply, the Central University of Kashmir, headquartered at Sonwar in Srinagar, was established in 2009, while the Central University of Jammu, located at Bagla, Samba, was established in 2011. The Sindhu Central University in Ladakh was established in 2021.
The minister further informed Parliament that Sindhu Central University in Ladakh and Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University in Telangana are the only two Central Universities established in the country during the last five years.
"Except Sindhu Central University, all Central Universities under its administrative purview are currently offering undergraduate programmes. At present, 3,09,542 students are enrolled in the 47 Central Universities under the Ministry of Education," the minister said.
On sustainable campus development, the minister informed Parliament that Central Universities have undertaken various eco-friendly initiatives, including rooftop solar power generation, solar water-heating systems, rainwater harvesting, wastewater and solid waste management, plantation drives and biodiversity conservation—(KNO)