Patna, June 19
Nalanda University's Chancellor Arvind Panagariya expressed gratitude as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new campus of the university on Wednesday and said that he has started working on the direction to increase the number of students and professors in the University.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque at the new campus of Nalanda University in Bihar's Rajgir as he inaugurated the campus on Wednesday morning.
While speaking to ANI, Arvind Panagariya said that soon the number of regular students in the University is going to reach 1,000.
"I am very happy and when I became chancellor, I started working in this direction to increase the number of students and professors in the University. The number of regular students in our University is going to reach 1,000 soon," Panagariya said.
He further said that the University is putting extra stress on Buddhism studies, historical studies and language.
"We are expanding areas like Buddhist studies, historical studies and languages. At the same time, we are also expanding modern fields of study, like management studies, and international relations. Prime Minister's message was great for us as well as the nation, he said that the 'Government of India will support the Nalanda Project' and at the same time, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar also said that 'he is ready to support the Nalanda Project in every way'. This is great news for Nalanda University," he added.
Meanwhile, after inaugurating the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I am happy that I got the opportunity to visit Nalanda within 10 days after swearing in as PM for the third time."
"Nalanda is more than just a name, it's a mantra, an identity, a declaration that books might get destroyed in fire, but knowledge persists. The revival of Nalanda will mark the beginning of the Golden Age of India," the PM said.
The Prime Minister said that Nalanda is not just limited to the renaissance of India's past instead the heritage of various countries of the world and Asia is linked to it.
Nalanda's new campus has two academic blocks with 40 classrooms, with a total seating capacity of around 1900. It has two auditoriums with a capacity of 300 seats each. It has a student hostel with a capacity of around 550 students. It also has various other facilities, including an international centre, an amphitheatre that can accommodate up to 2000 individuals, a faculty club, and a sports complex, among others.
The Campus is a 'Net Zero' Green Campus. It is self-sustaining with solar plants, domestic and drinking water treatment plants, a water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, 100 acres of water bodies, and many other environment-friendly facilities.
The university is conceived as a collaboration between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) countries. It has a deep connection with history.