Honourable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi attended the centenary celebrations of Patna University on October 14, 2017. On this occasion, he motivated the varsity to compete among the ten best public universities in the country so that it could get a grant of Rs. 10,000 crore from the union government to become a fully autonomous institution.
Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr. Nitish Kumar was also present during the centenary celebrations where he urged the PM to grant a central university status to Patna University. Reacting to that, Modi said that the varsity should take up the challenge of competing for ‘Institute of Eminence’ status as it will have to go beyond its demand for the status. With an aim to regain its past glory, Patna University must connect with its glorious list of alumni, he advised.
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Mr. Narendra Modi also appealed to the Patna University to be innovative for the challenges and problems of respective surroundings and compete for start-ups. India does not have a dearth of talent with its existing vast young population. Indian universities must lay more emphasis on innovation and creative methods of teaching rather than following the conventional methods of teaching, said PM Modi.
Sadly, the centenary celebrations of Patna University did not witness the presence of its prominent and esteemed alumni including Mr. Shatrughan Sinha (BJP MP), Mr. Yeswanth Sinha (former Union Minister of Finance) and Mr. Lalu Prasad (Chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal).
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Mr. Shatrughan Sinha expressed through a social networking platform that Patna University has lost its glory and is suffering from an acute shortage of teachers, infrastructure, staff and funds. The situation of so-called ‘Oxford of the East’ once upon a time is pathetic now, he mentioned.