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Khalsa University Act Scrapped By Punjab Government

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Khalsa University Act Scrapped By Punjab Government
New Delhi: The Punjab Government has decided to do away with the controversial Khalsa University Act, 2016. The decision has been taken to save the historic 125 year old Khalsa College from losing its heritage status. The decision was taken by the state cabinet at a meeting which was headed by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. The Chief Minister had earlier declared that he would protect the heritage status of the Khalsa College, Amritsar which is among the oldest educational institutions in India.

An official spokesperson told PTI that the Cabinet did not approve of the move by the Khalsa College Society to convert the college into university which would have destroyed the rich heritage status of the institution. 

The Khalsa University was established by the controversial Khalsa University Act, 2016 which was passed by the previous SAD-BJP alliance government. The Act had faced severe criticism from not only the residents of Amritsar but also from the alumni of the college and intellectual groups in the state.

The Cabinet said that there was no point behind establishing a new university when the city was already home to reputed institutes of higher learning. The Guru Nanak Dev University has made its name at the national level. Sri Guru Ram Dass University of Health Sciences and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Amritsar are other institutes of national repute in the city. 

The cabinet also said that by taking away a portion of the college's land for establishment of university would hamper the existence of Khalsa College. It also favored keeping all the properties attached to the college intact in order to preserve its architectural grandeur and marvel. 

(With Inputs from PTI)

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