The state Cabinet on Wednesday gave the green signal to Somaiya Vidyavihar’s proposal seeking self-financed university status. It is likely to come into effect from the 2019-2020 academic year. A Bill in this regard will be tabled at the state Assembly for approval. For the university, K J Somaiyya Trust and Somaiya Trust will remain the joint sponsors. Provision has been made for setting up of different faculties for interdisciplinary teaching, skill development and research. The nod has been given to allow development of new academic programmes that find new ways to improve quality of higher education, foster social change and social reconstruction through creativity, innovative enterprise and entreprenueriship, said a Cabinet statement. “Becoming a private university will allow us to start programmes that are otherwise not available in most universities in Maharashtra. Efforts to achieve the status of a self-financed and deemed university have been on for almost 10 years. Now, it looks like it should happen. But unless it happens, we cannot say anything,” said the Principal of Somaiya Vidyavihar College Dr Shubha Pandit. Dr D Y Patil college in Ambi-Talegaon, Pune district, also got a push for the status of a self-financed university. It is expected to receive the approval for the 2019-2020 session. New Centre at MU Professor Bal Apte Centre for Studies in Students and Youth Movements, a first-of-its-kind centre in the country, will be set up at the Mumbai University. The decision got an approval from the state Cabinet on Wednesday. The centre will start functioning from the 2019-2020 academic year. Funds of Rs 25 crore will be given by the state government for creation of necessary posts and Rs 58.78 lakh would be given for recurring expenditure. In order to decide matters regarding functioning of the centre, a committee would be formed under the chairmanship of Education Minister Vinod Tawde.
