STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: Minister of Education, Naeem Akhtar, on Saturday said the State Government has granted total financial autonomy to the universities in Jammu and Kashmir to let them independently evolve into centres of excellence. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, the minister sought amendments to ‘A Bill to provide for the establishment of Cluster University of Kashmir and the Cluster University of Jammu and for matter connected therewith or incidental thereto (LA Bill No 1 of 2016)’. The minister also moved a motion that the word ‘Kashmir’ wherever occurring in the Bill shall be substituted by the word ‘Srinagar’. Both the opposition and the ruling party members spoke on the Bill and urged the government that all the universities in Jammu and Kashmir must be developed as high seats of excellence in the field of education. The members said the universities must be granted complete autonomy to run their affairs independently without any political interference which will enhance the standard of teaching and learning at the highest seats of education in the state. Those who spoke on the Bill included R.S Pathania, Nawang Rigzin Jora and Devender Rana. Later, the House passed the amendment to the Bill with a voice vote.