Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar Thursday said India will give Pakistan a befitting reply for sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a free hand to the Army to strongly retaliate to Pakistani misadventure.
"The government will give a befitting reply to Pakistan for being the sponsor of terrorist activities in the valley," Javadekar said.
He was speaking after laying the foundation stone of a campus of the Central University at Jadrangal in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.
"The government has revoked the most-favoured nation status to Pakistan, while security of separatists has been withdrawn," the Union minister said.
Tension between India and Pakistan has escalated following a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, resulting in death of 40 CRPF jawans.
Earlier in the day, Javadekar laid the foundation stone for another campus of the Central University at Dehra in Kangra district.
Until now the university was being run from a temporary campus at Shahpur in Kangra due to delay in finalising the sites for permanent campuses.
The university will now have two campuses-- one in Dehra and another in Dharamshala.
Javadekar said the university would provide quality higher education to thousands of students from the state.
"The university would open new vistas of development in the area besides providing quality higher education to the youth," he said.
The minister said the Centre would provide all possible help to ensure that the campus is completed soon.
He said the Centre has sanctioned several institutions of national repute to the state.
"Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) has been sanctioned for Una and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for Mandi. A cluster university has also been sanctioned for Mandi district," Javadekar said.
He said the Centre was committed to provide digital boards in the schools in a phased manner in about nine lakh schools across the country.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Health Minister Vipin Singh, MP Anurag Thakur, among others, were present on the occasion.
"The Central University will have two campuses at two different locations and will have a massive campus spread in an area of over 1,000 hectares," Chief Minister Thakur said
"Over Rs 1,300 crore would be spent on construction of these campus and the university would emerge a major hub of higher education in the area," he said.
The chief minister said the government would ensure that both these campuses are completed within the next three years.
"The university will be having 14 schools of different studies with nearly 70 department of studies and about 40 centres of studies as per the Ministry of Human Resource Development," he said.
He said the state government was laying special emphasis to improve the quality of education in the state.
The Central University of Himachal Pradesh was established under the Central Universities Act 2009 enacted by Parliament.
A two-minute silence was observed on the occasion as a mark of respect to Tilak Raj, who was among the jawans killed in the Pulwama terror attack.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
