AP to become first with varsity in every district

Hyderabad: AP is set to become the first state in the country to have at least one university in every district. Already, 16 districts have a university each. The remaining seven districts will join the elite group by the year-end. The government will allot Rs 55 crore each to the seven new universities.

As part of the state government’s ambitious plan, Telangana and Andhra regions will get two universities each, while Rayalaseema would get one.

The new universities will come up at Sangareddy (Medak district), Vijayanagaram (Vijayanagaram), Tadepalligudem (West Godavari), Ongole (Prakasam), Khammam (Khammam), Nirmal (Adilabad) and Hyderabad district. Although Osmania University is located in Hyderabad district, it is functioning as a regional university for the entire Telangana region. The new university will be set up at district-level.

The idea to set up a university in each district was conceived by YSR’s government in 2006, to prevent the migration of students from semi-urban and rural areas to cities.

Subsequently, the government had then established 10 new universities in Nellore, Srikakulam, Rajahmundry, Machilipatnam, Kadapa, Kurnool, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar, between 2006 and 2009.

The PG centres of older universities located in these places were upgraded as universities. However, these universities are yet to secure 12(b) recognition from the UGC.
Land acquisition for these universities is yet to be completed in Seemandhra region.