Amaravati will have many firsts to its credit: Naidu

Lays foundation stone for Amrita University

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati, would have many firsts to its credit.

Addressing a meeting after laying the foundation stone for construction of the Amaravati campus of the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham at Koragallu village in Mangalagiri mandal of Guntur district, Mr. Naidu said after SRM and VIT, Amrita was the third big university to come to the State. This University, along with imparting high standard of education, would also ingrain value system that would go a long way in producing responsible and efficient citizens, he said.

He urged the University management to complete the project by next academic year. “Make it a full-fledged and one of the best institutions in the country,” he insisted.

Pointing to the fact that the State was on the crossroads, Mr. Naidu said he believed in finding opportunities in challenges. He said the blue and green capital will have nine themed cities and 27 townships and a cycling path along 1600-km, a first of its kind. To keep the place pollution-free, only electrical cycles would be allowed, he said.

Representatives of the University said admissions would open in July 2018 and student strength would touch 2,000 by 2020.

This is the seventh campus of the University in the country with a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1 with focus on research. The Amaravati campus will see investment of Rs. 2,500 crore over two decades, they said.

The new facility is coming up in an area of 200 acres and the construction will be taken up in two phases; the first phase will comprise 150 acres and the second 50 acres. Admissions will begin this year in courses like Computer Science, Information Technology, EEE and MBA-HR, Finance, Marketing, Production, Operations and Strategy.

When completed, the University will offer courses in Engineering, Management, Medicine, Humanities, Arts & Science, Bio-Technology, Nano Sciences, Philosophy, Yogic Sciences and Ayurveda.

The Mata Amritanandamayi Math, which operates the Vidyapeetham, is known for its social work. After the meeting, saris were distributed to 5,000 women from the surrounding villages.

Ministers Kamineni Srinivas, P. Narayana and Ganta Srinivasa Rao, president of the Board of the university management Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice-Chancellor Venkat Rangan and others were present.