Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stone for the next generation Plaksha University in Mohali, with the hope that it would transform the destiny of the state’s students and help them keep pace with the changing global milieu.

Facts :

• Plaksha University, being set up across 50 acres with a capital investment of Rs 2000 crores spread over 15 years, will cater to 1,000 students in Phase 1 and plans to expand to 8,000 students by 2035.
• The Academic Programme, prepared in partnership with UC Berkeley, will be launched in 2019, as the “Plaksha Tech Leaders Fellowship”. The undergraduate programme will start in 2021.
• The university, with the entire area around it beautifully developed, would become a centre of excellence for the state by 2035, when it is estimated to have 8000 students. Its close proximity to the international airport would give the university an added advantage.
• Being established by 40 technology and business leaders, it is set to pioneer the transformation of technology education in India, with its own Academic Advisory Board of global engineering leaders.
• The university has been co-founded by Ashish Gupta, also the Co-Founder and Trustee of Ashoka University, as well as Tech Mahindra former Executive Vice Chairman Vineet Nayyar along with other 38 technology and business leaders.
• The university also aims to start research centres around some big challenges that are relevant to India including urban mobility, sustainability, factories of the future, health and education.
• The vision is to build a Next Generation University at the intersection of technology, science and humanities to transform the world in the 21st Century. 
• The university, with its tie-ups with international institutions of high class, would play a pivotal role in strengthening the technological prowess of the state’s students.

Analysis :

• Underlining the importance of preparing children to meet the needs of tomorrow, and even the day after, the Chief Minister said with technology shrinking the world into a global village, technological advancements, particularly in the field of communication and IT, were positively impacting life.
• The launch of the world-class university was a proud moment for the state, and that resources should not be allowed to come in the way of imparting quality education.
• The setting up of another world level educational facility was yet another example of Captain Amarinder Singh's visionary approach in investing in education to impart quality educating to youth