VIT, Amrita University will complement the effort, says Chief Minister
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said he was committed to developing the State into a knowledge hub and described the commencement of the SRM University (SRMU) as the first step in that direction. Together with the VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology) University, getting ready for inauguration in August, and the Amrita University, Amaravati, the State was going to evolve into an educational centre of global standards, he asserted.
A Central University and a Tribal University are pending clearance by the Central government in fulfilment of the promise made in the A.P. Reorganisation Act to set institutes of national importance, he said.
Inaugurating the SRMU campus in the presence of its Founder-Chancellor T.R. Pachamuthu, President P. Satyanarayanan and Pro-Vice-Chancellor D. Narayana Rao at Neerukonda village in Mangalagiri Mandal of Guntur district, Mr. Naidu said Mr. Pachamuthu was quick to grab the opportunity to establish the Amaravati campus after interested parties were invited to set up their branches in the capital city.
Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said with the induction of 226 students in its maiden year, the SRMU Amaravati campus made a humble beginning and exuded confidence that its student strength would cross 10,000 in the coming years. Union Minister of Urban Development and Poverty AlleviationM. Venkaiah Naidu said the SRMU had built brand equity of its own and it was going to give a fillip to education in the State. “The capital city is a part of the Make–in–India campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Modi-Babu ‘Jodi’ (pair) is a winning combination for A.P., to which the Central government is extending a helping hand in the form of funds and logistical facilities after bifurcation,” he said.