AMU has only 2 campuses; ‘false’ promise made in 2010 about Seemanchal centre of AMU’: Education Minister Pradhan

New Delhi, December 12

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) had only two campuses —Malappuram and Murshidabad— through “proper process” and that a “false” promise has been made in 2010 about a third campus at Kishanganj in Bihar.

The Education Minister told the Lok Sabha that the “false” promise was made in 2010 about a branch in Kishanganj without undertaking any necessary study and paperwork.

“I am saying this with all responsibility, I have made an enquiries…no paper has been found related to the Seemanchal centre of the AMU. There was no proposal. Whoever had made the statement in 2010, it was a complete lie,” he said, inviting a sharp reaction from Congress MPs, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, given that the party was in power at the Centre during the period.

The AMU is an autonomous institution and has just two centres in the country— Malappuram in Kerala and Murshidabad in West Bengal— through proper process, Pradhan said amid objections.

Referring to the appointment of faculty members in central universities and other higher education institutions, Pradhan said of 18,956 sanctioned teaching posts in 45 central universities in the regular mode under the purview of his ministry, 12,776 posts are filled up and 6,180 posts are vacant as on December 1, 2022. The ministry has directed all HEIs to fill up the vacancies in a mission mode, he said.