For the first time in the state, the Government of Tamil Nadu will be introducing BPlan (Bachelor's of Planning) degree from this year. This will be taught at the School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University.
As per an announcement made by the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, S Muthusamy, at a cost of Rs 10 crore, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and Directorate of Town and Country Planning will be funding the course.
While speaking to reporters, Housing Secretary Hitesh Kumar Makwana and CMDA Member Secretary Anshul Mishra informed that 80 per cent of the cost will be borne by CMDA and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning will take care of the remaining 20 per cent.
As of now, there is no college or university which offers a BPlan degree in Tamil Nadu. This also comes after the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had written a letter to Tamil Nadu in 2019 asking it to follow the recruitment rules in accordance with the recruitment rules of the Central Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO).
The state was asked to amend the current recruitment rules by amending it to provide eligibility to BPlan candidates and remove BArch and BTech candidates from entry-level posts. This also comes as NITI Aayog had brought out a report titled Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India in September 2021 to strengthen the Urban Planning profession and education through the implementation of a series of reforms.
For capacity building of existing manpower in urban planning through various schools, Rs 1,500 crore has been earmarked by the Union Finance Budget and this will happen through various schools of excellence in planning.
