The Uttarakhand Government has requested the union government to provide 50 percent reservation for the students of the state for admission in the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar in Garhwal. The state minister for higher education, Dhan Singh Rawat told media persons at his office at Vidhan Sabha on Monday that the 15 per cent of the seats in the NITs are usually reserved for the local students.

He said that the state government has requested the Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ to consider the special conditions of the mountainous areas and increase the State quota in the NIT.

Rawat added that a Kendriya Vidhyalaya (KV) too would be set up in the NIT campus and the State Government wants that in this school too, 50 per cent of the seats should be reserved for local students. The Minister said that a helipad would also be constructed at NIT. “In the year 2022 Srinagar would get connected with rail network. The work on all weather road is going on at a fast pace.

All these things are in favour for the faculty and students of NIT Srinagar.

The work on the permanent campus would get completed within two years. We have also provided land of silk board which is adjacent to the ITI Srinagar where the temporary campus is currently situated. In next six months the students shifted to Jaipur would get relocated to Srinagar,’’ he said.

The Minister congratulated the efforts made by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Union HRD Minister in ensuring that the permanent campus of the NIT is sanctioned at the Sumadi village. He also expressed gratitude to the residents of Sumadi, Jaletha and other villages who contributed their land for the project.

Rawat said that the state Government would provide drinking water and electricity to the institute and a sum of Rs  5 crore is already approved. He also added that the internal roads and link roads for the NIT would also be constructed by the State Government. The minister also informed that a professional college would also be set up at Paithani village of Pauri and the villagers have already donated 12 acres of their land for the college.

On the question of proposal of converting the University of Horticulture and forestry to a central university, the minster replied that the proposal is in initial stage. “The proposal would be routed through the department of horticulture to union agriculture ministry.

Since the university is located in an area to which the Nishank ji and I belong, we have special affinity for it and conversion to the central university would help the university,’’ he added.

The Minister added that he took a meeting with the top officials of higher education and technical education department.

In the meeting discussions on handing over the buildings of those ITIs where there are no students to the higher education department for opening colleges there.