Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari called on Union Human Resource Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday.

He urged Pokhriyal to release the amount of about Rs 800 crores pending under various heads of higher education in the state at the earliest.

He also demanded reimbursement of 50 percent of the 7th pay scale of UGC to the Centre and a grant of Rs 400 crore also.

Principal Secretary Higher Education Hariranjan Rao was also present.

Minister Patwari informed that after Harisingh Gour University acquired Central University status, the state government established Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundelkhand University Chhatarpur in Sagar division in 2011.

After the upgradation of Sagar University to Central University, assets of the state government of about Rs 400 crores were also transferred to the Central University.

The lump sum payment of about Rs 400 crores of the transferred assets has been pending since long at the Centre.

He urged that it should be released soon.

During his discussion with the Union Minister on the new National Education Policy 2019, the Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari discussed several suggestions in detail. He urged for early release of the stalled amount in grants and many items along with the new education policy. Patwari invited Pokhriyal to visit Madhya Pradesh.

Under the new education policy, he urged that the proposed National Institute of Open Arts should be established in Indore. In addition, he urged to open a world-class research centre, Center for Excellence for different subjects in the university. He said that for this the Madhya Pradesh government will provide land and other resources. Patwari demanded to arrange study material for Hindi-medium students in the same way as students studying in English medium.

Minister Patwari demanded not to shut down the colleges located in tribal and remote areas and advocated the adoption of hybrid model. He sought to clarify the role of the Private University Regulatory

Commission in the states after the higher education authority was proposed in the new education policy, along with the inclusion of the role of the state government in the regulation of higher education. He said that according to the National Education Council Act 2019, before granting recognition to the educational institutions in the state, it is necessary to obtain the opinion of the state government for the approval of the Council.