Amartya Sen to Chair Nalanda University Mentor Group meeting

Patna, July 11 (UNI) An eight-member Nalanda Mentor Group (NMG) will meet in Singapore from July 13 under the chairmanship of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen for deliberations on preparing the syllabi of the proposed Nalanda University in Bihar.

During its three-day meet, the acclaimed academic group would discuss the possibility of introducing computer technology, aeronautical science and bio-technology into the courses of the proposed university, apart from the already decided courses on microbiology, international studies, philosophy and spiritualism.

Besides Dr Sen, other members of the NMG are international scholars like Hirayama Ikou of Tokyo University, Dr V Wang of Beijing University, Foreign Minister of Singapore George Yeo, Lord Meghnad Desai, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's nephew and senior professor at Harvard University Sugata Bose, Professor of Buddhism at New York University Tansen Sen and noted historian D N Jha.

The name of outgoing President A P J Abdul Kalam had been proposed as 'Visitor' professor to the university. Dr Y S Rajan, educational advisor to the President and Bihar Planning Board Chairman N K Singh had also been requested by the state government to act as special invitees, official sources here today said.

The institution would be set up within the next couple of years near the site of the ancient university of the same name, which came up about 1500 years ago.

Incidentally, the decision to re-start the world class university of the Asokan era near the earlier site was mooted after scholars from a number of South-Eastern countries, including those from Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea and Singapore, met Dr Kalam and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and requested them to revive the old international institute as per the world standard.

They also offered necessary financial assistance for the project.

Subsequently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also took active interest in the proposal and suggested a number of steps for projecting the proposed university as a renowned institute of international cooperation to scholars across the globe.

Also taking active interest in the proposal the state government had committed itself to extend all infrastructural facilities to the project and identified about 450 acres of land at Nalanda for the construction, which would cost around Rs 500 crores.

The majority of this amount was likely to be provided by the the Centre as well as from different agencies abroad, the sources added.

UNI