Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the plan to establish the varsity in Ladakh, on Monday at the meeting held to review the steps taken by the government over the last one year in the UT of Ladakh & J&K.
The meeting was also attended by Union home minister Amit Shah, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Suggested name for the university is the Ladakh central university and it will also include a Centre for Buddhist Studies.
The Ladakh Central University will offer degrees in all courses including liberal arts and basic science, too, except engineering and medical education.
However, the formal decision will be taken after the proposal is moved by the HRD Ministry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi supports for a separate Ladakh university, the people said, as at least 10,000 Ladakhi students have been forced to enroll in educational institutions outside the UT. Barring engineering and medical education, the proposed university will offer degrees in all courses including liberal arts and basic sciences.
According to the HRD ministry’s proposal, the Ladakh Central University will serve students from Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh once the Rohtang La tunnel opens this year and ensures round the year access to Leh via the Jispa-Sarchu-Upshi route. The university will have a Centre for Buddhist Studies to cater to the largely Gelug (to which the 14th Dalai Lama belongs) and Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhist population of Ladakh.