PU bid to get back two former institutions

PATNA: In its centenary decade, Patna University (PU) is striving hard to get back two of its former institutions into its fold. At present, the
university does not have either an engineering college or a medical college of its own.

PU did have both these much-needed colleges under its jurisdiction till some time back. But, while the Patna Medical College was taken over by the state government, the Bihar College of Engineering was converted into the National Institute of Technology, Patna.

PU vice-chancellor Shyam Lal told TOI that he has approached the state government for revival of both these institutions under the university. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has already agreed to the proposal for reviving the erstwhile Bihar College of Engineering once the NIT is shifted to its own campus. The state government has also been approached for providing sufficient land to the university for starting a new medical college.

At present, PU has got only 10 constituent colleges, including Patna Law College (which celebrated its centenary recently), College of Art and Craft, Patna Training College and Women's Training College, under its jurisdiction. But it lacks engineering and medical colleges. Patna Medical College is affiliated to PU only for the purpose of examination.

Lal said that PU is likely to have a media centre, first of its kind in Bihar, shortly with the financial sanction from the UGC. The university has already submitted to the UGC a detailed proposal for the same. The proposed media centre would facilitate production of documentaries on various socio-economic and cultural themes of the state. Films on eminent personalities of the state would also be produced by the centre, he added.

The university is keen on raising its academic standard by introducing socially relevant courses. An MoU has already been signed with the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute (RMRI) for taking up collaborative research programmes. Babu Jagjiwan Ram chair has been established by the Union government at the department of Public Administration and International Relations (PAIR) for undertaking researches in social sciences.

PU has got major research projects from the UGC, department of science and technology (DST), Government of India, and ISRO in the 11th plan period. After a long gap, the UGC has selected the geology department under its special assistance programme (SAP) and sanctioned handsome amount for execution of the project.

The publication of PU Research Journal and PU News Bulletin has been revived after a long gap. PU has made a budgetary provision for the sanction of Rs 30,000 per annum to each faculty for publication of papers. Steps have also been initiated for filling up all the vacant posts of principals, officers and teachers in the university, the VC said.

Source: B K Mishra, TNN 1 October 2009,