Dharamshala , Feb 21 (UNI) Union Human Resource Minister Prakash Javadekar and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur laid foundation stone of campus of Central University of Himachal Pradesh at Jadrangal, near Dharamshala in this district on Thursday.
Earlier in the day,foundation Stone of the second Campus was also laid at Dehra.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Human Resource Minister Prakash Javadekar said education was the pre- requisite for building a strong and vibrant nation. He said the government was ensuring that every school have a library. He said the Union Government would provide all possible help to the three thousand schools of the State where pre-primary classes have been started by the State government.
He said the Union Government would also provide all possible help to ensure that the University Campus is completed soon.

Mr Javadekar said ,"the Central government would give a befitting reply to Pakistan which was sponsoring terrorist activities in the valley. In this direction, he said the governmnent has scrapped the 'Most Favoured Nation' status from Pakistan. The security provided to the Hurriyat leaders of Kashmir has been withdrawan.Several steps have been taken to check terror funding. He said hordes of terrorists were being killed in the valley by the Army. Also, Prime Minister has given free hand to the Army to check terrorist activities in the State."

While addressing the gathering on the occasion, Chief Minister said the Central University will have two campuses at two different locations and would have a massive campus spread in an area of over 1000 hectare. He said both these campuses would not only provide quality education to the youth of the region, but also ensure economic activities in the area.
He said the University became functional in the year 2010, but it took about nine years for the University
to get its campuses at two places. He said in coming times, the University would have fourteen schools of studies with nearly seventy Department of Studies and about forty Centres of Studies as per the Ministry of Human Resource Development/UGC.

Jai Ram Thakur said , " the state government was laying special stress on qualitative improvement in the field of education. Over Rs 1300 crore would be spent on construction of both these campuses and it would emerge a major hub of higher education in the area. Mr Thakur said the state government would also ensure that the both these campuses were completed within next about three years."

The Chief Minister said the nation was poised to emerge as a world power under the able and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said terrorist attack on army convoy in Pulwama recently was a cowardly act by terrorists backed by Pakistan and the nation would give a befitting reply to these extremists and their patrons. He said nation was rock solid behind Prime Minister Modi and would back whatever decision he takes.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kishan Kapoor welcomed the Union Minister, Chief Minister and other dignitaries to his home constituency and detailed various developmental demands of the area.

Member of Parliament Kangra Parliamentary constituency and former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar said it was after the long wait that this premier University campuses would come into existence. He said although there had been expansion in the field of education, but standard of education still needed to be improved.

Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said the Central University would surely emerge as the premier Institution of Higher Education in the region. He said the present State government headed by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur was giving special thrust on education due to which the State has emerged as the Education Hub of the
Country.

Vice Chancellor Dr Kuldeep Chand Agnihotri said it was a historic day for the people of the State as the Central University would be coming up at two centres at Dharamshala and Dehra in Kangra district. He said that it would go a long way in providing quality education not only to the youth of the State but also of the region.

Two minutes silence was also observed on the occasion as a mark of respect to martyr Tilak Raj, who died in Pulwama terrorist attack recently.

Health Minister Vipin Singh Parmar MP Anurag Thakur, MLAs Mulk Raj Premi, Arun Kumar, Rita Dhiman and Ravinder Dhiman, Palampur BJP President Vinay Kumar, Joint Secretary HRD Ministry G.C.Hosur,
Principal Secretary Education K.K.Pant, Chancellor Central University of Himachal Pradesh Prof. Harminder Singh Bedi, Chairman State School Education Board Dr. Suresh Soni, Director Higher Education Dr. Amarjit
Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Kangra Sandeep Kumar, SP Kangra Santosh Patiyal were present on the occasion among others.
UNI XC SY 2059