Will ensure our varsities are among the best in the world, says Modi

Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared the stage with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for the first time after the JD(U) returned to the NDA fold in July and vowed to work with the latter to bring Bihar on par with other prosperous states by 2022. Mr Modi, however, tactfully deflected Mr Kumar’s request to grant central university status to Patna University.

In Patna to address the university’s centenary celebrations, Mr Modi instead announced his plan to promote excellence in universities by providing Rs 10,000 crore to 20 varsities, over a period of five years, to ensure that they are counted among the best in the world and invited Patna University to forget about central status and aim for a global status by competing and getting the central package.

“I am going beyond the demand and am keen that the Patna varsity competes successfully in the challenge for public universities and becomes a global-level institution,” he said.

The Prime Minister was earlier welcomed with a red rose by Mr Kumar at the Patna airport.

“My government took an important step towards unshackling the IIMs, freeing them from the clutches of restrictions and regulations set by the government. We intend to do the same for our universities and ensure that our centres of higher learning figure among the best 500 in the world,” Mr Modi said, responding to Mr Kumar’s plea to grant central university status to Patna University.

Mr Modi praised Mr Kumar for his growth initiatives in Bihar and said, “Nitishji is committed to development of Bihar... And the central government has pledged to develop the country. Together the two will work to ensure that Bihar is counted among the prosperous states by 2022 when the country celebrates 75 years of independence.”

The Prime Minister said that his government completes all projects launched by it within the stipulated time and hit out at previous governments for announcing projects only “during election time” and forgetting them.

Later, addressing a gathering at Mokama, about 100 km from Patna, Mr Modi deplored the thinking of many political leaders that “projects like roads were not meant for the poor”.

“We cannot imagine the extent to which this mindset has damaged the country,” he said, launching about a dozen projects related to highways and sewage treatment worth Rs 3,700 crore.

The Prime Minister also stressed on the need to develop Bihar’s inland waterways. “When the British ruled India they used Mokama port for ferrying goods. They even called the place ‘Mini Calcutta’. Our effort is to increase navigation in Ganga which will bring back the golden days of Bihar,” he said.

Mr Modi began his nearly 30-minute speech in local dialect, recalling Mokama’s connection with the mythological warrior sage, Parashuram. The city has a famous temple dedicated to Parashuram.

He also recalled the contributions of poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar and Bihar’s first chief minister Shri Krishna Singh, pointing that both of them hailed from Begusarai “just across the Ganges”.

“My government is working tirelessly to provide better road, rail and internet connectivity and power connections and potable water to all. We have launched many schemes with these specific targets in mind,” he said.

RJD president Lalu Yadav Prasad hit out at Mr Modi and the chief minister for fooling the people of Bihar by not according central status to Patna University.

“Both of them (Modi as well as Kumar) are making fools of people of Bihar. They must have decided beforehand that one will propose and another would dispose it (proposal for central status to PU),” said Mr Yadav.