India's First National Rail and Transportation University to come at Vadodara

The Union Cabinet has approved proposal of Ministry of Railways to set up first ever National Rail and Transport University (NRTU) in Vadodara to skill its human resources and build capability.
The University will be set up as Deemed to Be University under de novo category as per UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2016. The first academic program is expected to be launched in July 2018.

Key Facts

The Ministry of Railways will set up a not-for-profit Company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 as Managing Company of proposed university. The company will provide financial and infrastructural support to the university and appoint Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor of the university.
Board of Management of the company will comprise of professionals and academics. It will be independent of Managing Company with full autonomy to perform its academic and administrative responsibilities.
The funding of the new University will entirely come from Ministry of Railways.  It will set up on existing land and infrastructure at National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) at Vadodara, Gujarat. In its full enrolment, it is expected to have 3000 full time students.

Significance

This university will create a resource pool of skilled manpower and leverage state-of-the-art technology to provide better safety, speed and service in Indian Railways. It will support ‘Startup India’ and ‘Skill India’ by channeling technology and delivering knowhow, and foster entrepreneurship, generating large scale employment opportunities.
This will help for transformation of railway and transportation sector and enable faster movement of people and goods. The university plans to use latest pedagogy and technology applications to improve on-the-job performance and productivity. It will have ‘Centres of Excellence’ showcasing high-end, niche technology like High Speed Train.

Need

Indian Railways has embarked ambitious projects such as High Speed Trains (popularly known as bullet train) between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. It will include massive infrastructure modernisation, Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), highest focus on safety etc. For this, Indian Railways will require high level of proficiency and skills which will be provided by the University.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2017