Nalanda International University won't be stalled: Nitish Kumar

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday expressed confidence that work of Nalanda International University would not get stalled after constitution of Nalanda monitoring committee by the Centre and appointment of Nobel prize winner and economist Amartya Sen as the Chancellor of the university.

With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh specially taking interest and constituting a monitoring committee to oversee the work of Nalanda International University and also after appointment of Amartya Sen as Chancellor, the work of the university will never get stuck, Kumar said while addressing an international seminar organised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

"All these are positive signs and even ICCR chairman Karan Singh too has promised to extend all possible help for the university," the Chief Minister said.

He said earlier it had looked otherwise and there were doubts whether the university's work would progress.

Kumar said he had also met the Prime Minister about the work of the university that was suffering and requested him to look into it but the prime minister too had expressed "dissatisfaction" over the progress of the work.

Kumar said now the governing body of the university had accelerated the pace of work and its members met him on Thursday to discuss various issues.

The Chief Minister expressed the hope that the Nalanda International University would emerge as a centre of resolution to stop the conflict in future and would become a centre for global knowledge and study.

Kumar suggested that the university should have seven proposed vidyapeeths apart from conflict resolution centre and two new vidyapeeths like school of economics and management and school of basic sciences.

The chief minister said the state government would help provide additional land if required for setting up conflict resolution centre and school of economics and management.

He said it was a matter of great happiness that the governing body of the university during its meeting yesterday decided to start teaching work in the two schools from 2014.

Kumar also expressed happiness over opening of the 19th centre of the ICCR in Patna and expressed his gratitude to the Centre. He said Bihar government would provide appropriate land for the ICCR in Patna.

The chief minister said Nalanda International University should remain under the External Affairs ministry and not with Union HRD ministry.

Kumar stressed the need for tracing the spots of archaeological importance and said the Nalanda university and ICCR centre after their establishment would start excavation of isolated archaeological spots.

He also "highlighted alleged neglect of Balirajgarh archaeological spot in Madhubani district in Bihar".
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