Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new campus of Nalanda University in Bihar's Rajgir on Wednesday (June 19). The Prime Minister unveiled a plaque at the site and also planted a sapling. Ahead of the ceremony, he took a tour of the ruins of the ancient campus.
Following the inauguration of the new campus, PM Modi was facilitated by Interim Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University, Prof Abhay Kumar Singh.
The PM also planted a sapling at the inauguration ceremony.
The event was attended by Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar, Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha. Besides these, ambassadors of 17 countries and other delegates were also present at the event.
The ancient Nalanda University, established around 1,600 years ago, is considered to be among the first residential universities in the world. The new university campus is created to be a replica of the historic Nalanda University.
Earlier, PM Modi took to X highlighting glorious past of the university. He said, "It's a very special day for our education sector. At around 10:30 am today, the new campus of the Nalanda University would be inaugurated at Rajgir. Nalanda has a strong connect with our glorious past. This university will surely go a long way in catering to the educational needs of the youth."
'Net Zero' Green Campus
The campus has two academic blocks with 40 classrooms, with a total seating capacity of around 1,900. It has two auditoriums with a capacity of 300 seats each. It has a student hostel with a capacity of around 550 students. It also has various other facilities, including an international centre, an amphitheatre that can accommodate up to 2,000 individuals, a faculty club, and a sports complex, among others.
Photo Credit: @narendramodi
The Campus is a 'Net Zero' Green Campus. It is self-sustaining with solar plants, domestic and drinking water treatment plants, a water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, 100 acres of water bodies, and many other environment-friendly facilities.
Photo Credit: @narendramodi
The university is conceived as a collaboration between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) countries. It has a deep connection with history.
Photo Credit: @narendramodi
This is Prime Minister Modi's first visit to Bihar after the election win.