Rajasthan to have first university-like institute with no control of Guv

JAIPUR: Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Social Sciences and Governance will be an institute first of its kind in Rajasthan that will be formed on public private partnership (PPP) mode with the status of a university.
The state government is all set to table the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Social Sciences and Governances Bill in the Assembly’s current session. Unlike state universities, the institute will be headed by a chairperson having academic scholarship in social sciences or relevant experience in the industry and will not be governed by a vice-chancellor, as per the Bill.
The appointment of the chairperson will be based on nomination by the state government.Thus, unlike a university, the institute will have no control of the Governor’s office. This provision in the Bill has, however, been red-flagged by some experts who say it might become a point of confrontation between the Governor's House and the state government.
The institute will have a fully autonomous stature and provide degree and certificate programmes in governance and leadership purely on the basis of the Gandhian school of philosophy. “The programmes will include research, training, capacity building, extension and advocacy activities related to governance and social sciences and allied fields,” reads the Bill.
Highlighting the objectives of the institute, an official behind the drafting of the Bill said, “The institutes will develop programmes promoting social and gender equity. It will develop educational programmes and faculties that advance the cause of governance and social sciences. It will have centres for the study of governance and social sciences and allied areas.”
The institute will explore international linkages with renowned institutes and universities like the Ivy Leagues institutes in the USA AND public policy schools around the world, said the official.