Police varsity project dropped

Updated on: Saturday, March 20, 2010

New Delhi: The Government today shelved the plan of setting up National Police University, a brain child of former Union Minister Shivraj Patil, saying existing varsities can be roped in for conducting courses on police related subjects.

The proposal of the Home Ministry for establishing the university was taken up at a meeting of Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but it was decided to drop the plan keeping in view the large requirement of resources, land and manpower for it.

An official statement said, "the Union Cabinet today approved the dropping of the proposal for establishment of National Police University in view of the inherent merits in opening study centres and chairs in the existing universities."

The setting up of the university had received Cabinet's in-principle approval on May one, 2008 to provide quality education, research and other related academic activities in police related subjects.

It was agreed that an alternative proposal of conducting courses on police related subjects by networking the existing universities be considered as the objectives of establishing the university can be met in a lesser time by utilising the existing infrastructure in various universities.

"...it was felt that the proposal for National Police University may be dropped," the statement said. The approximate financial implication for the proposed university was estimated at Rs 350 crores, apart from recurring expenditure of Rs 25 crores per annum.

Setting up of a full-fledged university would mean a further investment in the areas where capacity already exists. "Therefore, the alternative proposal of organising courses in police related subjects in the existing universities appear to be a better option," the statement said.

Patil wanted that the university should be set up on the lines of the prestigious National Defence Academy and the idea was to finetune policing with the changing times in view of worsening internal security situation, lack of serious research and development and dip in the morale of security men.

The proposed university was to offer graduates, post graduates and PhD courses to civilians and serving police officers in a range of subjects including biological warfare, criminal psychology, public relations, human rights, insurgency and communal tensions.

Patil, during his tenure as Home Minister till he was asked to resign in the fall out of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, had surveyed the national capital and adjoining areas on a helicopter and earmarked area around Bhondsi in Haryana and Noida in Uttar Pradesh for the project.

Police varsity project dropped

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