Cabinet mandates national security clearance for private varsities; CM cites USTM fallout

Guwahati, March 4: The Assam Cabinet on Tuesday took a series of significant decisions concerning the Assam Private University Act, skill development, and the bamboo economy, among other key areas.

One of the most crucial decisions was to mandate that only entities with national security clearance from the state’s Home and Political Department can establish private universities in Assam.

Tightening the Assam Private University Act, the Cabinet made it mandatory for private university owners to obtain this clearance.

“The Cabinet has decided to introduce stricter provisions in the Assam Private Universities Act. From now on, any entity wishing to establish a private university in Assam must secure national security clearance from the Home and Political Department. Only after obtaining this clearance can a university be set up,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced at a press briefing at Lok Sewa Bhawan.

The move, he admitted, follows allegations of examination malpractices against the Chancellor of Meghalaya-based University of Science & Technology Meghalaya (USTM).

Additionally, the Chief Minister said that institutions must be “completely secular” and must not engage in activities related to religious conversion. “If any institution is found to be involved in religious conversion activities, its registration will be cancelled,” he warned.

Boosting skilled labour

Taking a step towards his commitment to develop a more skilled workforce—especially in light of securing investment commitments exceeding ₹5 lakh crore at the recently concluded Advantage Assam 2.0—the Chief Minister announced the establishment of 10 skill centres across the state. These centres will focus on imparting technical and vocational education to Assam’s youth.

An alumni group from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), in collaboration with the state and central governments, will oversee the establishment of these centres.

“The construction of these 10 skill centres will require ₹90 crore, of which ₹10 crore will be contributed by the state government, while the remaining ₹80 crore will be borne by the pan-IIT alumni association,” the Chief Minister stated.

He further added that the alumni association will also take responsibility for ensuring employment opportunities for graduates from these centres.

Encouraging local contractors

Sarma also outlined new measures to enable fresh engineering graduates to bid for tenders in the Public Works Department (PWD) and Water Resources Department.

“Fresh graduates often face challenges in participating in the tender bidding process due to lack of experience, capital, and necessary equipment. The Cabinet has decided that for five years from the date of passing their engineering degree exams, these restrictions will be relaxed,” Sarma announced.

He added that complex conditions in the Standard Bidding Documents—which previously prevented fresh graduates from working on Class I projects in the PWD and Water Resources Department—have been simplified.

“This will create local contractors from among the local youth and will break the monopoly of a few individuals who currently meet the stringent bidding criteria,” the Chief Minister added.

Bamboo to boost the economy

In a move aimed at bolstering Assam’s economy, the Cabinet has decided that for every new building constructed in the state, at least five per cent of the materials used must be made of bamboo.

“This initiative will help boost the state’s economy. Over time, we will gradually increase the percentage of bamboo usage,” Sarma said.

Tribute to Ratan Tata

As a mark of gratitude to the Tata Group and the late industrialist Ratan Tata, the Cabinet has approved renaming the entire area covering the Assam Semiconductor & Electronics Logistics Park, the Jagiroad Tata OSAT Centre, and the proposed township with social infrastructure as Ratan Tata Electronics City (RTEC), Jagiroad.