Amethi: The Centre has approved a proposal of the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU) at Fursatganj in Amethi to expand its aerospace activities on an additional 500 acres, and directed the Uttar Pradesh government to make the land available for it, a top official has said.

"The Centre has approved our proposal and sent it to the Uttar Pradesh government for making 500 acres of land available to us," RGNAU Vice Chancellor B N Singh told reporters on Friday.

Singh said a centre of excellence would be developed once the state government provides the land, for which a survey is currently underway.

The vice-chancellor said he recently met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who assured him that the land would be made available soon.

The proposed expansion will include state-of-the-art laboratories, research centres and other infrastructure aimed at promoting higher education, research and innovation in aviation, aerospace and allied fields, he said.

According to the vice-chancellor, the university has prepared a development model to increase its student strength to 17,000 by 2033. At present, 595 students are enrolled with the autonomous Central university.

RGNAU is also working towards granting affiliation to institutions across the country, Singh said.

Established in 2013 under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, RGNAU is the country's only university dedicated to aviation and aerospace education.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.