LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has passed a bill for the establishment of first state of the art university of technology in Dera Ghazi Khan division.

Punjab minister for industry and trade Mian Aslam Iqbal had presented the bill of the Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology in DG Khan and it was passed on Wednesday. The Rs2.3 billion project is meant to promote research for producing quality technical human resource.

“The Bill seeks to establish Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology Dera Ghazi Khan for purposes of teaching, training, research and for the application, advancement and dissemination of knowledge in the field of technology. The University shall provide avenues of higher education in the field of technical education. The establishment of the University is expected to produce high quality technologists to meet the needs of modern day industry especially in the wake of launch of CPEC,” the bill reads.

The industries department spokesman said the Government College of Technology, DG Khan, had been given the status of the university. He said PC-I of the project had been prepared.

He said the technology college was spread over 288 kanal land. He said 14 colleges of technology were imparting technical education to students in DG Khan division. He said the alumni of these colleges would also get admissions in the new university.

The spokesman said the project of Mir Chakar Rind University of Technology was included in the annual development programme of 2019-20 and the work on the project would start soon. Four technology subjects would be taught in the university at the initial stage, including electrical, mechanical and civil engineering and computer technology.

He said since DG Khan was situated on the western route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it would benefit youth of the area.

*Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2019*