india

Updated: May 29, 2019 07:58 IST

In its first meeting after the general elections, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday revoked a decision to shift the affiliation of Amethi’s degree colleges from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University in Ayodhya to Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj University (CSJMU) in Kanpur.

The cabinet approved the UP State Universities (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, to amend the UP State Universities Act , 1973, to revoke the decision on the affiliation of colleges in Amethi,the former Lok Sabha constituency of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who was unseated by Union minister Smriti Irani in the just concluded elections.

The cabinet also approved a draft bill to replace the ordinance in the next session of the state legislature.The notification to shift affiliation of colleges of Amethi from Ayodhya to Kanpur had been issued but not implemented.

Minister for medical and health Sidharth Nath Singh and energy minister Shrikant Sharma announced the decision at a media briefing.

Also read: PM Modi, Amit Shah brainstorm ahead of oath ceremony

Degree colleges are affiliated to universities for the purpose of academic control. The university conducts examinations and awards degrees to students enrolled in affiliated colleges.

“Affiliation to CSJMU was inconvenient as Kanpur is situated at a distance of about 250 km from Amethi. The state cabinet has decided to affiliate these colleges to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, which is just 90 km away,” said Singh.

Affiliation of colleges was an issue in Amethi and a delegation of local residents had met Irani to discuss it while she was campaigning in the constituency.

Senior BJP leader from Amethi, Uma Shankar Pandey, said, “The state government’s decision to shift affiliation of Amethi’s colleges came to our knowledge in December 2018. So, this issue was raised before Smriti Irani.”

A Congress leader in Amethi, Yogendra Mishra, said the affiliation of colleges was not a big issue in the elections. “There was a proposal to shift affiliation from Ayodhya to Kanpur. We wanted that the decision is reverted soon,” said Mishra.

Regional higher education officer Rajiv Pandey said the cabinet’s decision would affect 47 government-aided and private degree colleges of Amethi.