New Nalanda University academic building by early next year

BIHARSHARIF: The 15th Finance Commission team led by its chairman NK Singh expressed satisfaction over the pace of work being carried out on the sprawling campus of the resurrected Nalanda University (NU) at Rajgir on Tuesday.
The members included Shaktikanta Das, Professor Anup Singh and Dr Ashok Lahiri. NU vice-chancellor Dr Sunaina Singh accompanied them.
Sunaina also made a presentation before them and said the administrative and academic work of the university would shift to its own campus early next year.She said four research centres would be opened in the university for scholars.
“Besides building construction, the academic work of NU also took a giant leap as the number of students increased from 12 to 300 and the School of Languages has also been added,” she said.
The VC also informed the visitors that the state government allotted additional 100 acre land to be used for commercial purposes. The team also visited Nalanda ruins earlier in the day and planted saplings on the university campus.
The idea to revive the ancient Nalanda University was mooted by CM Nitish Kumar and supported by the then President, Dr APJ Abul Kalam. The new university came into existence by an Act of Parliament in 2010 while its first batch was inaugurated by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj in September 2014.
The then President Pranab Mukherjee had attended its first convocation in 2016.
The university has been functioning from the old SDO office and has sent out three batches so far.