NEW DELHI, March 26 – India will open the country’s first aviation university at Rae Bareli in north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. The National Aviation University (NAU) will begin its academic session at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy (IGRUA) at Fursatganj in Rae Bareli beginning July next year.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal said Rs 80 crore (US$14.75 million) has been allocated for setting up the university and the total project outlay for the first five-year period is Rs 202 crore (US$3.73 billion).
“We have requested the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government to allot more land for the university,” he said.
“A detailed project report has been prepared and sent to the Planning Commission for in-principle approval. A legislation to set up the NAU has been sent to the Union Law Ministry for vetting. We intend to bring this Bill very soon.”
According to unofficial estimates, India requires about three million trained personnel in the Indian aviation sector over the next decade. Venugopal said collaboration with similar institutions in other countries is being considered to turn NAU into a world-class facility.
BERNAMA
