Punjab CM directs finance department to release Rs 60 crore for sports university

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday directed the finance department to immediately release the sanctioned amount of Rs 60 crore for the first phase construction of Patiala campus of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University (MBSPSU).

He also asked the department to enhance the allocation for the premier institution in this year's budget, saying that the Rs 15 crore allotted for the university was too less. Reviewing the progress of the state's first sports university in a meeting virtually, the chief minister asked PWD Minister Vijay Inder Singla to assign a chief engineer to steer the construction, according to a government statement.

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He also directed Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Sodhi to set up a three-member committee to coordinate with the PWD for expediting the work on the university, which has been functioning from another campus since 2019. To ensure a world-class curriculum for the university, the chief minister approved a draft MoU to be signed with UK-based Loughborough University to institutionalise the collaboration between the two.

MBSPSU Vice Chancellor Lt Gen (Retd.) JS Cheema told the meeting that the construction of the university was currently going on in full swing in Patiala. The campus would be spread over an area of about 100 acres.