Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a new campus of the Nalanda University in Bihar's Rajgir today, June 19, 2024. The inauguration will take place at around 10:30 pm followed by a address of the gathering. The ceremony will be attended by several eminent people, including the heads of missions from 17 countries.
As per a PMO release, PM Modi will visit the ruins of Nalanda at around 9.45 am. The ruins of Nalanda were declared a UN Heritage Site in 2016.
Highlighting Nalanda's "strong connection with our glorious past, PM Modi took to X to say, "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 2000 individuals, a faculty club, and a sports complex, among others.
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.
The university is conceived as a collaboration between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) countries. It has a deep connection with history. The original Nalanda University, established around 1600 years ago, is considered to be among the first residential universities in the world.
(With inputs from PTI)