Guwahati, Aug 22: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma escalated his attack against meghalaya’s well known private university- University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) on Wednesday, saying that students passing out of the university won’t be eligible for government jobs in Assam.
The chief minister’s latest statement comes after his recent tirade against the university when he blamed the USTM, located inside Meghalaya, for the Guwahati floods, prompting the phrase “Flood jihad”.
“I have directed the legal department to explore ways to prevent USTM pass-outs from being considered for government jobs in Assam, citing concerns about the validity of their certificates from a different state,” Sarma told reporters here.
He warned that stringent rules will be made for students passing out from private universities outside the state.
The chief minister went a step further, discouraging Assam students from studying at USTM and urging them to opt for free education in Assam instead of paying to study at the Meghalaya-based university.
Though the Assam chief minister has been going hammer and tongs at the Meghalaya university, yet, USTM has witnessed a remarkable rise in the education scenario of the country.
It has been ranked among the best 200 universities of India in the 9th edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024, which was declared recently by the Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
It is the only private university in the northeastern region to achieve this place for the third consecutive year.
The management of USTM had recently announced plans to start Meghalaya’s first and only private medical college.
But this latest decision has caught the glare of the Assam chief minister who accused the university of furnishing fake certificates of patients during the medical council inspection.
“USTM is trying to undermine Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) with its upcoming medical college. They showed fake patients during a National Medical Council inspection,” claims Sarma without providing any evidence on his allegation.
The Chief Minister said the state government is set to introduce a new bill focused on granting “security clearance” to groups seeking to establish new educational institutions in the state. This bill aims to ensure that any organization or group planning to set up educational institutions in Assam meets specific security criteria.
“A new law on the anvil to check the background of every group which wants to set up institutions in Assam,” Sarma said.
“From now the groups seeking to establish nursing colleges, medical colleges, dental colleges, will have to take security clearance from the state government. Earlier, there was no security clearance in our system. If anybody has land and money, he will get permission for such institutions. These laws were made during the Congress regime,” Sarma said.
“But the Central government take legal reports before granting permission to anybody for setting up such institutions. We are bringing out such system in Assam. It will take two to three months to make it effective,” he said.
“Some groups are coming up from Kerala to set up universities in Barak Valley and Barpeta. We have to check the background of these groups because they are doubtful,” he added.
