- Revanth Reddy is the first sitting CM to visit Osmania University in 20 years
- He inaugurated two new hostels costing Rs 80 crore for 1,200 students at Osmania University
- Revanth Reddy announced CM Research Fellowship and financial aid for students’ foreign educational trips
Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy made a landmark visit to Osmania University today, becoming the first sitting Chief Minister to officially visit the campus for a major event in over two decades.
Revanth Reddy's visit holds both political and symbolic weight. Osmania University was a central hub for the Telangana statehood movement, and for years, it had a strained relationship with the previous BRS government.
By visiting Osmania University and addressing professors and students, Reddy is seen as acknowledging the university's crucial role in the state's history and signalling a new chapter of collaboration between the government and the varsity.
The visit happened amid tight security amid apprehensions that there could be protests but the chief minister declared that he would visit the university the next time sans any security.
During his speech at the university, the Chief Minister emphasised the deep connection between the institution and the state, saying that "Osmania University is synonymous with Telangana" and a place that "teaches struggle along with education".
He also directly addressed the students, pledging to visit the university again in December, this time without police protection, to hold a public meeting at the Arts College and directly address their concerns.
This announcement was a key highlight, as it was made in the context of reports of tight security and preventive arrests of BRS student leaders ahead of his current visit.
The visit was marked by several important announcements and the inauguration of new infrastructure aimed at improving the university's facilities and supporting students.
The chief minister officially inaugurated two new hostels, named Dundubhi and Bima, which were constructed at a cost of Rs 80 crore and are designed to accommodate 1,200 students. He also laid the foundation stone for two additional hostels with a capacity for 300 students and a new, state-of-the-art Digital Library Reading Room, which will be built for Rs 10 crore.
In a major push for academic excellence, Revanth Reddy announced two new schemes, the CM Research Fellowship, designed to provide financial assistance to full-time research scholars at OU who are not receiving any other fellowship.
The other new scheme is Financial Assistance for Foreign Educational Trips so that students can take academic trips abroad, a move aimed at promoting global exposure and research.
Revanth Reddy vowed to transform Osmania University into a world-class institution on par with Oxford, pledging to provide "hundreds of crores" for its development. He directed officials to form an expert committee to prepare a comprehensive plan to achieve this vision, promising to personally sanction the funds upon its submission.
The visit has been met with mixed reactions. While many in the university community welcomed the chief minister's announcements and his expressed commitment to the institution, opposition parties, particularly the BRS, criticized the pre-emptive arrests of student leaders and the heavy police presence on campus. BRS leaders dared the Chief Minister to visit without security, a challenge Reddy appears to have accepted with his announcement of a December visit.
The previous government, led by K. Chandrashekar Rao, had a strained relationship with the university, with students often opposing his policies. Reddy's visit, therefore, is viewed as an attempt to re-establish a positive connection between the state government and the university community.
