Rs 1,000 Crore-Assam Varsity Will Upskill NE Youths: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday asserted that the Rs 1,000 crore-Assam Skill University will upskill youths of Northeast.

Performing 'bhumi pujan' for the institute at Darrang district headquarters Mangaldai, around 70 km from Guwahati, Sarma said that the institute will harness the demographic dividend of Assam, which has a very young population.

"The Rs 1,000-crore institute will have multiple schools and centres of excellence that will play a huge role in upskilling the youths in Northeast. The university will have various campuses across Assam," he said.

Sarma said a target has been set to complete the construction of the entire campus by August 2025 but an interim complex is expected to start functioning from 2024 itself.

The skill university, first-of-its-kind in Assam and third such institute in the country, will impart education for skill development in different sectors such as entrepreneurship and innovation, life skills and languages, and design and creativity, through its various schools and courses.

It is being partially funded by the Asian Development Bank. Incidentally, former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had laid the foundation stone for the institute in February last year.

However, an official from the university claimed that laying the foundation stone and performing 'bhumi pujan' are not the same. He claimed that laying the foundation stone last year marked the sanction of the project and selection of the site, while the actual construction work will begin after the 'bhumi pujan'.

"There are many steps after a project is sanctioned and site allotted such as tendering and seeking approvals. These have been done in the period between the laying of the foundation stone and performing of 'bhumi pujan'," he added. 

(With PTI Inputs)