Neyveli Lignite Corporation India (NLCIL) Chairman and Managing Director Prasanna Kumar Motupalli announced that Annamalai University in association with NLCIL is on its way to offer a degree in mining very soon. He said this at the inauguration ceremony of the Mining Research Laboratory at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology of the university on April 13, Thursday, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

More or less 13,000 staff at NLCIL are Annamalai University graduates, mentioned Motupalli. The university has certain facilities which can be utilised effectively by the students and he encouraged students to make good use of it stressing the fact that a mining degree can lead to better opportunities when it comes to career prospects. 

Dr R Kathiresan,Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University pointed that students from scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe communities (ST) (41%) and women (51%) are more in number at the university.

The institution has been offering a Diploma in Mining Engineering since 2016 by the Faculty of Engineering and Technology. As per the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) guidelines, a mining research laboratory has been installed in the university at a cost of Rs 2.25 crore.

Dean Dr A Murugappan; Mining Engineering Programme Director Dr CG Saravanan; Deputy Director Dr S Manikandan, heads of various departments, staff members and students were present on the occasion of the inauguration.