JAMMU: May 27

The Union Minister of States for Higher Education, Prof. Ram Shanker Katharia visited the upcoming campus of the CUJ at Bagla (Rahya Suchani), District Samba who was shown the progress of the construction work and the administrative set up that has recently been shifted there. The minister lauded the fast progress of the construction work and the functioning of the University, particularly the running of 12 PG and 8 research degree programmes within a short span of 3 years. The minister said that he had a keen interest in educational institutions, particularly the central Govt.. Institutions as he himself came from a teaching department of Hindi in Agra University. He was delighted to see the hilly and scenic location of the campus and compared it with that of the Mizoram University. He said, however, that the approach road to the CUJ was narrow and bumpy. The minister assured the VC to provide all assistance to the University to establish/improve the required infrastructure. It is good that the CUJ had chosen a remote location as the establishment of big institutions particularly the educational institutions helps the economically weaker population of that area, said the minister. He underlined that the teachers’ and non-teachers’ residences should be of high quality

Earlier the VC, Prof. Ashok Aima introduced the Deans, Heads of the Departments and other senior officials of the University, and gave a power point presentation about the progress of the work, functioning of the University and its future plans. The VC revealed that shortly six academic departments will shift to the upcoming campus from the Temporary Academic Block, and about the new departments to be started soon adding that the University was constructing check dams to harvest rain water.. Prof. Aima informed that there has been a 3-fold increase in the number of applicants for various academic programmes due to the academic performance of the University and advertisement at a wider scale. The VC also submitted proposals for the establishment of an Academic Staff College and a Kedriya Vidalaya on campus. Sh. R.P. Gupta, the Executive Engineer of the University explained the Master Plan of the University. The minister was presented a memento as a token of remembrance.