India calling: PIO varsity coming up in SEZ

Arun Kumar Das / TNN / Oct 29, 2006, 00:15 IST

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The status of the deemed varsity, funded by the NRIs/PIOs, will be governed by the provisions of the UGC Act.

India calling: PIO varsity coming up in SEZ

NEW DELHI: For NRI children, visiting India may no longer be an annual event any more. Now, they can look forward to longer stays as the first PIO university is finally taking shape.
The ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) is finalising a policy to set up a PIO varsity, spread over 100 hectares, in a special economy zone (SEZ) in the country.
While, the status of the deemed university, fully funded by the NRIs/PIOs, will be governed by the provisions of the Sec 3 of the UGC Act, the investors will be exempted from IT, customs duty, excise duty, sales tax etc, since it will be in the SEZ.
It will be a major step towards developing a comprehensive bilateral educational links with the Indian Diaspora, say experts.

"Initially, there were some hurdles. Now, they have been sorted out and the modalities are being worked out. Since the issue involves other departments, we are finalising the basic framework in close coordination with the HRD, commerce, finance, health, home ministries and the planning commission," says Vayalar Ravi, minister of MOIA.
There are about 25 million PIO living in over 130 countries. But higher education is very expensive in most developed countries.

In 2000, a high level committee on Indian diaspora appointed by the government, recommended the setting up of a new university and professional institution.
"The committee also found that in many countries the laws did not allow PIOs to avail of higher education," says Ravi.
The proposed varsity will cater to the needs of these people and will be at par with the best universities of the world.
Officials feel besides attracting investment in the country, students can become brand ambassadors for India and help in the country’s development.
"Nearly 25% seats will be reserved for resident Indian students," says a senior MOIA official.
The varsity will conform to the UGC, AICTE, MCE standards but will be fully autonomous. Faculty appointments, curriculum design, financial matters, fee structure and intake of students will be their own decision.
Initially, courses like medicine, engineering, dentistry, business administration, IT, bio-tech will be included. New courses will be added depending on future demand.

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