Ranchi: Chief Minister Hemant Soren requested the Jharkhand assembly speaker to constitute a committee to investigate the status of private universities in the state. He made the request during the ongoing Winter Session of the Jharkhand Assembly while withdrawing the Jain University Bill 2022 on the suggestion of a section of BJP, Ajsu, and CPI (ML) MLAs, who explained how the private universities in Jharkhand are running without proper infrastructure and have become a place for distributing degrees without imparting proper education in lieu of exorbitant fees. It is necessary to do an assessment thus I would like to request the speaker to constitute a committee of the assembly who will assess the condition of private universities and submit its report before the house, the Chief Minister said.
Earlier Minister Mithilesh Thakur had tabled the bill inviting heavy criticism. CPIML MLA Binod Singh strongly opposed the Jain University bill saying in 2017, the same society was given permission to open Arka Jain University in Jamshedpur. Now the same society is opening an institute in Ramgarh. The organization wants to use the infrastructure of Ramgarh’s government-run polytechnic college to run the university and does not have its own infrastructure, which is not justified.
BJP MLA Anant Ojha opposed the bill saying that one who could not run an organization for five years, then why is he being given permission. AJSU legislator Lambodar Mahto echoed the same saying permission to open any new private university should be given only after assessing the performances of 16 private universities already running.
Before the Jain University, Bill 2022 was withdrawn and the Chief Minister demanded an assembly committee to assess the performance of the private universities, the house cleared two university bills amid a similar protest of the opposition. The two university bills included Sona Devi University Bill 2022 and Babu Dinesh Singh University Bill 2022. Before this development, the House cleared the Court Fees (Jharkhand Amendment) Bill, 2022 and Jharkhand Contingency Fund (Amendment) Bill amid protest by the legislators of BJP, Ajsu and CPI (ML).
After the development, the house cleared Jharkhand Municipality (Amendment) Bill 2022. A heated debate took place in the House before the Jharkhand Municipality (Amendment) Bill 2022 was cleared. Binod Singh said that if rotation for the Municipal head’s post is abolished, then it will be rejected again in the court. BJP MLA Amar Kumar Bauri said that the problem happened after the Ranchi seat was reserved for SCs.
It is an insult to Dalits. We will not tolerate this. It will again be against the constitutional provisions. Injustice is already being done to Dalits in the state, the morsel is being snatched from the mouth of Dalits, Dalits will never tolerate this, he said. BJP MLA Kedar Hazra echoed Bauri. Bokaro MLA Biranchi Narayan said that the state government does not have the right to make this amendment as it is a matter of the Centre.