Accepting the long-standing demand of the youth of Ladakh, the State Administrative Council (SAC) has sanctioned an independent university for the Leh and Kargil districts of the cold desert region.
The SAC in its late evening meeting on Saturday, under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik, approved the establishment of the first ever university in Ladakh.
The Kashmir University was at present catering to the Ladakh region but the students were annoyed as due to the frequent disturbances in the valley their 3 years courses were getting stretched to about 5 years. Moreover, the youth of Ladakh had to go all the way to Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu, and Srinagar for higher studies.
Advisors to the Governor, K Vijay Kumar, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and Kewal Kumar Sharma, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam and Principal Secretary to the Governor Umang Narula were present at the meeting.
It will be a Cluster University covering five colleges of Leh and Kargil districts. The university will be established with an initial grant of Rs 65 crore to be provided next fiscal.
Establishment of the university will fulfill a long-standing demand of the people of the districts, an official spokesman said.