Aimed at facilitating and promoting aviation studies and research in the region, the much-awaited Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU) at Rae Bareli is likely to start functioning from this month.
The Central university, the first of its kind in UP, is set to be inaugurated on August 18 by the Union Civil Aviation minister A Gajapati Raju and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Interestingly, Rae Bareli is the Parliamentary constituency of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi but she is unlikely to be invited for the function even as the varsity was mooted to Rae Bareli due to her initiative while the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was at the Centre.
Situated in the extended campus of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) in Fursatganj area, the varsity spread in five acres, has cost the Central government around Rs 200 crores and is the largest in Asia. This would be the second such Aviation university in Asia after Singapore which is a smaller version.
Official of the RGNAU said that all preparations for a grand inauguration of the varsity was near completion and it would open this month. The university will provide Under Graduate, Post graduate, Post Graduate Diploma and Research for students.
Being the country’s first Aviation university, it would impart training to aerospace/rocket engineers, aspiring pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians/engineers and cabin/ground crew.
All flying schools in India are expected to become affiliated and supervised by the university which would thus act as an apex institution for Aviation education.