Varsities for skill growth: Maharashtra Govt nod to guidelines, model bill

The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday approved the guidelines and a model bill to set up self-financed private universities for skill development. The cabinet has decided to increase the skills and employability of the state youths on the lines of the Centre’s Skill India initiative.

Officials said that these self-financed private skill universities will conduct diploma and degree courses with special focus on training in industry and service sectors as well as ensure employment and self-employment.

An official said that a committee, comprising former vice-chancellors of universities and principals of reputed colleges, was set up in February last year to decide on establishing public and private skill universities. The government has received the report and draft guidelines and the model bill was prepared to set up the self-financed universities after considering all existing provisions, an official said.

CM refers to Osamanabad as Dharashiv

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, through his Twitter handle, referred to Osmanabad as Dharashiv while tweeting on a cabinet decision taken on Wednesday. However, the official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office did not refer to Osmanabad as Dharashiv. The tweet was about establishment of the new government medical college with 100 seats and a 430-bedded hospital.

This came a week after Thackeray’s Twitter handle had referred to Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar, which was objected by the Congress, citing the coalition’s agenda. However, Thackeray had responded to the Congress, saying that the while the coalition’s agenda adheres to secularism, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb “does not fit into it”.

The Shiv Sena has over the past few decades been rooting to change the name of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar, and referring to Osmanabad as Dharashiv.