Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Aug 26 (IANS) Haryana government’s Rajiv Gandhi Education City (RGEC), coming up at Sonepat, has attracted significant response from educational institutions and universities, a government official said here Wednesday.
“There is a huge rush of applicants. We had invited expressions of interest for the allotment of land in various categories at RGEC in January this year,” said the official spokesperson of the state government.

“Nearly 31 educational groups, interested in setting up their campus here (RGEC), had applied. After the scrutiny, interviews and presentations before the allotment committee, nine applicants have been finalised,” he told reporters.

Some of the selected institutions include Thapar University, Manav Rachna International University, International Foundation for Research and Education, Birla Institute of Management Technology and Fore School of Management.

“Almost all the finalised institutions have foreign tie-up, either with renowned foreign universities or with industries. It will help the students avail international exposure,” the official added.

RGEC, being developed on 2,007.6 acres on national highway-1 at Sonipat, some 40 km from New Delhi, is envisaged as a hub for higher learning and a centre for research in cutting edge technologies.

The total investment in the selected institutions will be more than Rs.1,000 crore.

“There will be no compromise on the quality of infrastructure and faculty. These institutes would cater to the requirement of students not only from Haryana but from all across the world,” the spokesperson said.

“All these institutions will be autonomous but they will have to adhere to the broad master plan stipulations that would safeguard functional affinities and eco-system of the whole locality.”

The seat reservation policy and fee structure will be determined by the Haryana government, he added.