New Delhi: The first-ever national aviation university in the country would come up at Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, Sonia Gandhi`s Lok Sabha constituency, to impart complete training to pilots, cabin crew and aircraft engineers.
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the creation of this university in the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as a central university, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters here.
The Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University would be set up on a 26-acre plot of land at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy (IGRUA) at Fursatganj.
It would have an estimated funding of Rs 202 crore during the 12th Plan period, of which Rs 80 crore has already been sanctioned by the Centre. The university would be an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
A Bill to establish the university, which is being given final touches by the Law Ministry, is likely to be brought in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, Tewari said.
The Cabinet also approved creation of a post of Vice Chancellor by selection through a Search and Selection Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary and a temporary post of Project Director to implement the project.
Though there are a large number of private institutions in India providing aviation education and training, there is a general consensus among stakeholders that the number of programmes offered, depth of course content and existing infrastructure facilities were not sufficient to meet the industry requirements, Ministry officials had said earlier.
The varsity would promote aviation studies, training and
research with focus on emerging areas like aviation management, aviation regulation and policy, aviation history, aviation science and engineering, aviation law, aviation safety and security and aviation medicine.
It would also have specialised courses on search and rescue, transportation of dangerous goods, environmental studies and other related fields, and other emerging areas.
The M K Kaw Committee had recommended the setting up of such a university in 2006.
Later, the 12th Plan document had also made a similar recommendation to augment qualified and trained manpower for the Indian aviation sector, with the Planning Commission granting in-principle approval to the Detailed Project Report submitted by the Civil Aviation Ministry.
PTI
