The Hindu : New Delhi News : Foundation laid for N-E girls' hostel

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Saturday, Jan 07, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Foundation laid for N-E girls' hostel

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Describing science and technology as the mode of the future, Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on Friday said scarcity of funds should not be allowed to come in the way of breaking new ground.

Noting that despite scarce resources, the country managed to set up premier institutes such as the IITs in the early years of Independence, Mr. Singh said unless we continue the process, it is going to be a problem for the country.

The Minister made the statement after laying the foundation stone of the Rajiv Gandhi Girls Hostel for students from the North-East, including those belonging to Schedule Tribes.

A long-standing demand of the Delhi University Students' Union, the hostel is being jointly constructed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and DoNER, Government of India and the University of Delhi on a 2.80 hectare campus land at Dhaka.

Speaking on the occasion, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor, Deepak Pental, said the need of the hour was for universities to mobilise their own resources and use the autonomy accorded to them. He said that attempts would be made to increase hostel capacity from 500 to 1,000.

The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, D.D. Lapang, said it was good to see that efforts had been made to create a secure environment to accommodate students. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, said the hostel was a "dream fulfilled". The Minister of Tribal Affairs and DoNER, P.R. Kyndiah called for a change in the way the North-East is perceived across the country.

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