State cabinet approves private institute in presence of founder

Mumbai: The Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to allow an educational institute to start a private university in Pune

Mumbai: The Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to allow an educational institute to start a private university in Pune. Significantly, the founder of the university who is a minister now, also participated in the meeting that cleared the proposal, raising the question of a conflict of interest.

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In a meeting on Thursday, the state cabinet gave its nod to a proposal to grant self-financed university status to Pune-based Jayawant Shikshan Prasarak Mandal (JSPM), founded by state health minister Tanaji Sawant. When the proposal came up for discussion, Sawant remained in the meeting.

Self-financed universities receive no aid or grants from the state government, and have the freedom to decide their curricula, course structures and fees. The state government started giving this status after it enacted the Maharashtra Self-Financed Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Act in 2013.

“Ideally, the minister should have excused himself from the meeting when the proposal came up for a nod in the cabinet,” said a senior official.

According to its website -- www.jspm.edu.in– the institute was founded by Sawant, where he continues to hold the founder secretary’s position.

“The university will be located in Haveli tehsil, Pune district. It will start from the next academic year — 2023-24. A bill to that end will be introduced in the state legislature,” stated a release issued by the chief minister’s office on Thursday.

Sawant was not available for comment.