CONGRESS president Sonia Gandhis Lok Sabha constituency Rae Bareli yet again benefitted from the largesse of the Centre as the Union cabinet on Thursday approved setting up of two universities there the countrys first national aviation university and an only women university that will focus on research and higher education. The aviation university,to be named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi,will impart complete training to pilots,cabin crew and aircraft engineers and will have an estimated funding of Rs 202 crore during the 12th plan period. The Centre has already sanctioned Rs 80 crore for the purpose,said a statement released by the government after the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave its clearance. The university will be set up on a 26-acre plot of land at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy (IGRUA) at Fursatganj and will 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,will be brought in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament,Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said. The cabinet also gave its approval for 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. The all-woman university,also the first such higher education institution,will be named after the late prime minister Indira Gandhi,who represented Rae Bareli during a substantive part of her political career. The project is expected to cost Rs 500 crore during the 12th Plan Period. A Bill,namely the Indira Gandhi National University for Women, will be introduced in the coming monsoon session of Parliament,Tewari told reporters.
