Union Cabinet Approves Establishment of Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University in Telangana
Timing of decision, nine years after the requirement was made, raises questions of political motivation
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014's plan to establish a central university in Telangana has been authorized by the Union cabinet ahead of the state's Assembly elections.
The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was authorized for presentation in Parliament on Wednesday by the cabinet, which is presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through the proposed amendment, the Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University will be established in Telangana's Mulugu district.
The timing of the action—nine years after the requirement was made—led K.R. Suresh Reddy, a Rajya Sabha member from Telangana's ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti, to assert that the government was acting for political reasons.
According to a press statement from the Press Information Bureau, the government will contribute Rs. 889.07 crore to the new institution.
The newly established institution will, among other things, offer "instructional and research facilities in tribal art, culture, and traditional knowledge system for the benefit of the tribal population in the state," according to the statement.
The Center has already established two more tribally focused universities. The Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) was founded in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, in 2008 during the UPA's administration.
A bill to establish a tribal university in Andhra Pradesh was enacted in 2019 by the NDA administration. Courses in the humanities and sciences are available at the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh in Vizianagaram for undergraduate and graduate students.
Reddy stated that the Reorganisation Act's commitments were made to meet Telangana and Andhra Pradesh's development shortfalls following their 2014 separation.
"Nearly ten years after the law's passage, the duty is being fulfilled. This demonstrates the government's careless treatment of Telangana, the speaker claimed.
"The BJP is attempting to gain a foothold in Telangana for political gain. This decision was made in conjunction with the Assembly elections for that reason.
T.V. Katimani, vice chancellor of the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh and a former VC of the IGNTU, stated that in addition to providing academic programs, a university with a tribal concentration has a special duty to tribal populations.
According to Katimani, "a tribal university must interact with the tribal people and address their educational, health, and developmental issues through research and social activities."
He mentioned the high dropout rate among tribal students and asserted that the university might interact with people to ascertain the causes, whether they be linguistic, cultural, or economic.
In addition, it can investigate and publicize the traditional knowledge that tribal people have in a variety of sectors, according to Katimani.
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