Mandi: Jai Ram Thakur, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, said on Tuesday that government college and university professors will be paid in accordance with the updated University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales. He was speaking during the opening ceremony of Mandi University, the second university in the state. According to Thakur, the UGC 7th Pay Commission revised scales announcement would be released in a month. After 52 years of the founding of its first institution, he claimed that this (the inauguration) day will be remembered as a milestone in the history of the state.
On July 22, 1970, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), the state's first university, was founded in Shimla. The chief minister urged the teachers and students of the university to work tirelessly and with missionary zeal for the bright future of this institution, saying that the newly launched university will enable the youth to receive higher education closer to their areas. As a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's role in bringing the princely kingdoms together to form one unified India, he said, the new university has been given his name. He stated that a statue of Sardar Patel would soon be erected on the campus.
Having two universities, according to Thakur, will not only boost the number of postgraduate (PG) seats in the state but also make it easier for students to enroll in higher education and reduce the pressure on Himachal Pradesh University. He added that adequate property will be found to put up the campus of this institution, and until then classes will begin from the existing campus. Over 141 public and private colleges in Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, and Kullu will be affiliated with the new university by the Himachal Pradesh government, while over 165 institutions in the remaining seven districts of the state will operate under HPU.
