UP protests AICTE's unilateral approval for technical institutions

Lucknow, July 10 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh today decided to write a letter to the Centre protesting the new policy of All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) according unilateral approval to private technical institutions without getting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government.

The decision to send the ''letter of protest'' was made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by State Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The Cabinet expressed worry at the move and described it as a decision against the union structure of governance laid down by the Indian constitution.

State chief secretary Naveen Chandra Bajpai told reporters here before May 2006, the AICTE used to get a NOC from the state before according approval for new technical institutions being set up by the private sector.

''Since the AICTE decision to accord unilateral approval runs against the union framework, the Cabinet thought it appropriate to register its protest,'' Mr Bajpai added.

He said while details of institutions accorded approval after May 2006 was not available immediately, state would have no objections of such institutions coming up, if they fulfilled the criterion laid down to get NOC from the state before the latest AICTE decision.

Mr Bajpai said henceforth, no new private technical education institutions would be allowed in districts, which already have four similar bodies. ''Now stamp duty exemption would only be provided to institions, which are the first ones to come up in a district,'' he added.

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