Centre finalized the panels to set up five universities for minorities, road map to be submitted in 2 months

New Delhi : With state polls around, the Centre in an apparent move to showcase its inclusive agenda has formed two panels to look into modalities of setting up five universities for minorities and offer grant-in-aid to madarsas offering mainstream education.

Former bureaucrat Afzal Amanullah is the convenor of the 10-member panel, which will submit its report to the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) in two months’ time.

The MAEF is an agency affiliated to the Minority Affairs Ministry. Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor Lt General Zameeruddin Shah, Jamia Milia Islamia University Professor Talat Ahmed, ex-Calicut varsity V-C Padmashri Iqbal Hasnain and former Parliamentarian Shahid Siddiqui are prominent members of the panel. The MAEF secretary D Madhukar Naik is the member secretary of the panel.

“The Centre is keen to set up the universities to empower minorities educationally. They will have world class institutions to impart education in medical, skill development and other areas. The panel has to lay down the roadmap for the formation of the universities,” said a senior official, who added that the panel has also to offer suggestions to the government in identifying places where the campuses of the varsities will be set up.

The panel has also been given the mandate if such varsities should have the minority tag attached to them, added the official.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs is looking for around 100 acres of land for each of the varsities, which will impart education in Ayurved, Unani medical education, skill development.

“Haryana and Rajasthan have already shown interest to host the campuses,” said the official, while adding that Banker Udayan Bose, educationists Feroze Bakht Ahmed and Qamar Agha and social activist Kulsoom Noor Saifullah are the other members of the panel.

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