Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 16: The Maharashtra government has approved the establishment of Bhujbal Skill Tech University in Nashik by the Mumbai Educational Trust (MET), run by the family of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, marking what the state skill development department has described as the first instance of a private skill university being set up on government land.
The proposal received approval from both the state cabinet and the legislature last week. While MET has operated an educational institution on the government-owned land for nearly two decades, the proposed skill university will function as a separate institution under the provisions of the Private Skills University Act, 2024.
The university will be established on a site with a built-up area of 11,704 square metres and will offer programmes in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, electric mobility, advanced machinery and battery technology, according to the project report.
However, sources in the state skill development department said the Private Skills University Act, 2024, requires such institutions to be self-financed and located either on privately owned land or on land leased for a registered tenure of at least 30 years.
Although MET's proposed university is located on government land, it has secured the property through a long-term lease, a move that department sources said effectively amounts to a government concession.
In a presentation to the state government, the department noted that "historically granted government land can be seen as an indirect state subsidy and an uneven playing field". It, however, observed that MET had fulfilled the primary legal requirement by holding valid possession through a long-term lease.
The department also recommended that the government formulate a clear policy for similar cases in future, indicating that amendments to the existing provisions relating to land under the Private Skills University policy may be required.
"This is the first case of a private skill university on government land. A clear policy for future cases without requiring legislative amendments would be appropriate," a department official said.
The official added that since the land had been leased to the university, it effectively constituted a concession.
Responding to the development, MET representative Madan Kharat, who handled the approvals for Bhujbal Skill Tech University, said the institution had submitted all land-related documents sought by the government.
"The government sought land-related documents from MET. They show that the land is in the possession of MET and was given for educational purposes. Accordingly, we received permission. There was no communication from government on any other issue," Kharat said.