Latest news with #LoIs
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
GMADA planning big for Mohali's growth while forgetting Ecocity-2
Amid its ambitious preparations to acquire around 2,600 acres of land in Mohali for residential, commercial, industrial and institutional development, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has failed to launch the Ecocity-2 (extension) scheme in New Chandigarh's Hoshiarpur village even 12 years after land acquisition. In 2013, GMADA had acquired 96 acres and issued letters of intent (LoIs) to the allottees the same year, but it is yet to begin development work. Over the past decade, residential and commercial plots have been carved out, but the project remains stalled, leaving the allottees in limbo. GMADA had paid compensation to landowners who opted for monetary settlement, but those who chose to receive plots under the land pooling scheme through this project wait in uncertainty. Avtar Singh, a landowner, said, 'It has been 12 years. As many as 106 residential plots and 66 commercial ones have been carved out, but the scheme is yet to materialise. No development activity has taken place.' 'GMADA took high-interest loans from banks to pay compensation to the farmers, but the amounts the latter received were meagre. The authority has been paying heavy interest on these loans, but there has been no effort to develop or launch the scheme and recover the amount by selling the plots,' he said. Echoing similar concerns, another landowner, Satvir Singh, said, 'In 2013, we were forced to hand over our fertile chunks of land which were our only source of income. Now, we feel betrayed. GMADA has issued only letters of intent under the land pooling scheme, but no allotment has been made.' According to Satvir, 'Without this (allotment), we cannot develop our plots to build houses or open showrooms. Our livelihoods and our kid's future are at stake.' 'The authorities are planning to initiate new schemes but what about the one which awaits completion for a decade?' he asked. When contacted, GMADA chief administrator Vishesh Sarangal said, 'We floated tenders to carry out development works recently. We require approval from the competent authority. Once we receive the same, the work on the project will begin.' In its executive meeting on June 6, GMADA had decided to acquire 2,600 acres across multiple sectors in Mohali. According to the decision, 236 acres will be acquired in Sector 87 for commercial use, 313 acres in Sector 84 for institutional purposes, 321 acres across Sectors 101 to 103 for industrial development and a substantial 1,800 acres in Sectors 120 to 125 along the PR-7 road for residential development. The land acquisition process is slated to begin next month.
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
York, UWA, IIT Chicago among 5 foreign institutes coming to India
As a major leap towards redesigning the higher education ecosystem in India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has officially given out Letters of Intent (LoIs) to five foreign universities, authorising them to open campuses in India. This is a key milestone as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which invites global institutions to impart international educational opportunities to students in LoI handover ceremony took place in Mumbai in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, acting UGC Chairperson Vineet Joshi, and officials from participating UNIVERSITIES WHICH WERE HANDED OVER THE LOLS ARE:University of York (UK) University of Western Australia (UWA)University of Aberdeen (UK)Illinois Institute of Technology (USA)IED Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy)Such institutions are to establish their campuses mainly in Navi Mumbai as part of a master-planned International Education City close to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport. CIDCO-led and supported by the Maharashtra government, the project will create a 5-kilometre educational corridor where foreign universities will open undergraduate and postgraduate UWA is also constructing a second campus in Chennai to extend its academic presence in University of Aberdeen, which is one of Scotland's oldest universities, is the first Scottish university to be given such permission in India. Its bid will now be presented before the university's governing council next month for institutions will take 18 months to set up their campuses and are expected to start enroling students by late FOREIGN UNIVERISTIES IN INDIABesides these five universities, other foreign universities have already begun making plans to set up campuses in University of Southampton will start its inaugural admission cycle in Gurgaon this fall, and the University of Liverpool is ready to open its Bengaluru campus by September increased interest from international institutions highlights India's role as an international education hub. With the world's best universities opening up shop on Indian ground, students will no longer need to travel abroad for global-standard education -- making it all accessible from Watch
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Business Standard
14-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Maha working with 5 more foreign universities to set up campuses in MMR: CM
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that the state government is working with five more foreign universities to set up their campuses in the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR), after it granted letters of intent (LoI) to five foreign varsities to set up campuses in Navi Mumbai, a part of MMR. 'We are working with them. But we cannot disclose their names,' Fadnavis said on Saturday after the government granted LOIs to Aberdeen University, the University of York, the University of Western Australia, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Istituto Europeo di Design (IED), aiming to create an international education city at Navi Mumbai. He said EduCity is being developed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) of Maharashtra, and the campuses are planned within a 5-kilometre radius of the Navi Mumbai International Airport. Fadnavis clarified that the government will only facilitate the universities' plans to set up campuses in MMR and that the state will not bear any financial responsibility. Professor Guy Littlefair, deputy vice-chancellor (education and student experience), University of Western Australia, said, 'We've worked with the University Grants Commission, and we've looked at the expertise we have at our university, and we've looked at the demand locally here within the region. And we have decided to progress in the first instance with business courses and also STEM courses, in particular computer science.' Littlefair confirmed that the UGC has given universities an 18-month window to start their operations after receiving the LoIs. Speaking about the student enrollment plans, Littlefair said, 'We're going to start off in the hundreds and head towards the thousands in the next five to ten years.' Besides, Fadnavis stated that, apart from an educity, the government is also creating a medicity, a sports city and an innovation city. 'This innovation city will be one of its kind, will host all the innovation ecosystems in the arena, and it will be such an ecosystem that will foster all the next-generation technologies and innovations.'
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Five foreign universities announce campus in India, admissions in 2026: Check list of institutes
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has formally issued Letters of Intent (LoIs) to leading universities from the UK, USA, Australia, and Italy, allowing them to establish campuses in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai region. The handover took place at a ceremony in Mumbai today, presided over by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, other deputy chief ministers, vice-chancellors of the participating universities, and various dignitaries and stakeholders. The universities receiving the LoIs include University of York (UK), University of Western Australia (UWA), University of Aberdeen (UK), Illinois Institute of Technology (USA), and IED Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy). Additionally, the University of Western Australia will also be establishing a second campus in Chennai. The issuance of LoIs marks a significant step toward implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's vision for the internationalisation of higher education in India. With this, the recipient universities have received the official green-light to proceed with setting up their campuses in the country. Sources told the Indian Express has learnt that following the handing-over of Letters of Intent (LoIs) by the UGC, the universities now have an 18-month timeline within which they are likely to announce admissions for a fresh cohort. It is expected that the admission cycle for most of these institutions will commence sometime before December 2026. Earlier, two UK universities, the University of Southampton and the University of Liverpool — had announced their plans to open campuses in India. The University of Southampton will begin its first admission cycle this September at its Gurgaon campus, while the University of Liverpool is expected to start operations by September 2026 in Bengaluru. The universities are expected to be set up in Navi Mumbai, as part of a planned International Education City near the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. The initiative, led by the Government of Maharashtra with support from CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation), aims to create a dedicated 5-km education hub, the first of its kind in India, where students can access world-class international education without leaving the country. In May, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis had announced that CIDCO plans to establish this 'Edu City' in Navi Mumbai, which will host campuses of foreign universities for the first time in India.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
5 global universities get nod to open campuses in India
NEW DELHI: India's push to become a global education hub is gathering momentum, with five foreign universities receiving Letters of Intent (LoIs) to establish campuses in the country. Close to a dozen international institutions by the start of the next academic session are likely to have an Indian campus, according to govt sources. The LoIs - cleared after evaluation by the University Grants Commission - have gone to Victoria University (Australia), University of Liverpool (UK), Western Sydney University (Australia), Illinois Institute of Technology (US) and Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy). In addition, six more are under scrutiny & being evaluated by Liberalized Degree Campuses (LDC) committee. Till now, three foreign universities have established physical campuses in India - Australia's Deakin University and University of Wollongong in Gujarat's GIFT City, and UK's University of Southampton in Gurgaon. "Several universities are in the pipeline. Out of them, five have received LoIs. As per my knowledge, six more are under scrutiny and being evaluated by our LDC committee," said union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in an exclusive conversation. "We've engaged with several top global universities with high QS rankings and strong funding - only such universities will be considered. They must meet all our criteria," he added. The upcoming campuses are expected to offer high-quality courses in STEM and management, sectors identified as national priorities.
