Punjab Cabinet approves setting up of Plaksha University at IT City in Mohali

Chandigarh, August 16

To attract quality national and foreign educational institutions to the state, the Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved the establishment of Plaksha University, a private institution, at IT City in Mohali.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh through video-conferencing.

The university will become functional from this academic session.

The Cabinet gave the nod to the draft of ‘The Plaksha University Ordinance 2021’ and authorised the Chief Minister to approve the final draft later.

Plaksha University would be established on a 50.12-acre state-of-the-art campus, which will be developed with an investment of Rs 244 crore in Phase-1 and total Rs 1,145 crore over five years, an official spokesperson said.

The upcoming university would be instrumental in imparting world-class higher education to students to empower them to compete globally. It will have an annual intake of 300-400 students in the beginning, and up to 1,500 students when the campus is fully established, he said.

The 21st-century technology university will be at the forefront of contemporary technologies like AI, ML, IoT, robotics and data science. The university will also set up research centres with an aim to focus on challenges being faced by the region in the fields of digital health, digital agriculture, cyber security and future of mobility, the spokesperson said.

The Punjab government has reserved 15 per cent seats for students from the state and full tuition fee concession/free scholarship to not less than 5 per cent of the total strength from among the candidates belonging to the weaker sections of society.

The university would recruit teaching and non-teaching staff as per UGC guidelines. It would also undertake industry-oriented teaching, training and research extension programmes to provide employable skills with a view to contributing to the development of society.