Somaiya, D Y Patil, now self-financed varsities

The state cabinet approved a proposal to accord a status of “self-financed university” to the Mumbai based “Somaiya Vidyavihar” and Pune based D Y Patil educational institute on Thursday.

A draft granting the status of self-university from the academic year 2019-2020 was also approved in the cabinet, which will be tabled in the state legislature in the budget session.

The proposed “Somaiya Vidyavihar Self University”  will be jointly controlled by the Somaiya Vidyavihar, K J Somaiya Trust and The Somaiya Trust. It will look after implementation of courses including skilled development, research, international education and other areas of higher education.  The “Somaiya Vidyavihar” encompasses 34 institutions, with more than 39,000 students and 1,500 faculties.

D Y Patil self university, located at Ambi-Talegaon in Pune will look after the education related to social reorganisation, entrepreneurship development etc. D Y Patil campus runs engineering college and also runs management courses.

The state cabinet also accorded its approval for setting up the “ Prof. Bal Apte Centre for Studies in Students and Youth Movement’ from the academic year 2019-2020. This will be the first of its kind centre in the country. The state government will give a grant of Rs.25 crore to the centre. It was also decided to set up a committee under chairmanship of Higher and Technical Education Minister to activate the centre. Apte was in the forefront of student movement in 1960s.

In the meanwhile, the state government raised the age limit for retirement of librarians from 58 years to 60 years, with retrospective effect from first January 2006. This decision will be applicable to all the librarians working in government colleges, government aided colleges, polytechnics, Dr Babasaheb Technical University and Chemical Institutes, coming under Higher and Technical Education department.

The then Congress-NCP government had approved the “The Maharashtra Self Financed Universities (Establishment & Regulation) Bill” for the establishment of universities in the state on April 1, 2011. The Bill was, however, not accepted by the governor and was returned to the government. However the bill was later approved by the government.