Govt decides to withdraw Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, 2013

The cabinet will now introduce a motion in Rajya Sabha withdrawing the Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, 2013, introduced on 26 August 2013 to amend certain existing provisions of the Nalanda University Act, 2010 and add some new provisions.

Governance at Nalanda University has been a subject of much controversy and the governing board of the university has been reconstituted as per section 7 of Nalanda University Act, 2010 with effect from 21 November 2016, with the approval of President of India.

The amendment bill will need to be discussed with the current governing board of Nalanda University before a final decision could be taken on going ahead with the proposed amendments.

Further, the current governing board may also look into the entire Nalanda University Act, 2010 afresh and suggest amendments / additions wherever necessary, a cabinet release stated.

The university, which was inaugurated by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, in September 2014, has the President of India as the Visitor of the University, Vijay Bhatkar as the chancellor and Professor Sunaina Singh as its vice chancellor.

The Nalanda University was established on the basis of a joint press statement at the 4th East Asia Summit held in Thailand in October 2009, which supported its establishment as a non-state, non-profit, secular and self-governing international institution. Subsequently, the Parliament passed the Nalanda University Act, 2010, which came into effect from 25 November 2010.

At present, the university has 116 students in three schools of studies, namely School of Historical Studies, School of Ecology and Environment Studies and School of Buddhist Studies. This includes 35 international students from 21 foreign countries.