Chandigarh: The Punjab Vidhan Sabha has cleared the way for a “world-class” university focused on military robotics and space technology, even as the govt faced a fierce grilling over a multi-crore shortfall in mining revenue.In a productive but heated Monday session, lawmakers passed the Shri Guru Teg Bahadur World Class University Bill, 2026, alongside a contentious amendment to regulate the state’s embattled mining sector. While the new university received rare bipartisan support for its focus on 21st-century warfare and semiconductor engineering, the session was dominated by opposition allegations of a “massive corruption racket” within the state’s mining operations.A Fortress of Future LearningEducation minister Harjot Singh Bains outlined a curriculum for the new institution that he claims is currently unavailable anywhere else in North India. The university is designed to be a hub for emerging strategic technologies, offering specialised degrees in fields including defence and robotics (MTech in Military Robotics, BSc in Defence Technology, and MTech in Radar Systems), aerospace and quantum computing (BTech in Drone Engineering, Satellite Engineering, and Quantum Computing), and security (MTech in Cyber-warfare, National Security, and Counter-Terrorism).Punjab’s leader of the opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, welcomed the initiative but warned the govt to avoid the “ghost campus” syndrome. He pointed to a previous Congress-era law university in Tarn Taran that remains non-functional despite a 25-crore rupee investment.The Mining Revenue RowThe passage of the Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was far more fractious. Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved the bill to tighten the leash on retailers and stockists, but was met with a barrage of criticism from the opposition benches.Key points of contention were the revenue gap, whistleblower claims, and illegal activity. Bajwa noted that the AAP govt has failed to hit the ₹20,000-crore mining revenue target that party convenor Arvind Kejriwal had promised to voters famously. The opposition cited a letter allegedly written by a subdivisional officer (SDO) in Ropar to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, detailing a widespread corruption syndicate. Allegations remain that rampant illegal mining continues unchecked across the state’s riverbeds.Minister Goyal assured the House that the Ropar complaint was being investigated and that the state remained “confident” of hitting its ambitious revenue targets.Calls for Global OutreachThe opposition urged the govt to leverage the Punjab diaspora to fund and guide the new university. Bajwa suggested involving non-resident Indians (NRIs) and establishing specific departments dedicated to the Ninth and Tenth Sikh Gurus to ensure the institution maintains a strong cultural foundation alongside its high-tech focus. MSID:: 129612486 413 |
