Dharmendra Pradhan Writes to Mamata Banerjee Over Land Allocation for JNV South 24 Parganas-I, Malda

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday seeking her intervention to ensure the state allocates land for permanent campuses of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in South 24 Parganas-I and Malda. Pradhan noted the land allotment issue for the two JNVs remain unresolved since 2007-08 and 2016 respectively. With the state administration last year withdrawing the temporary site on which the JNV South 24 Parganas-I was functioning since 2007-08, the students had to be shifted to nearby JNVs and new admissions were put on hold, he said.

JNV-Malda which was sanctioned in November, 2016 is still non-functional for want of suitable land for the construction of permanent campus and temporary accommodation. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are government-run Class 6-12 chain of residential schools. They admit students based on an entrance examination. “The prerequisites for opening of a JNV are provision of about 30 acres of suitable land, free of cost, along with adequate temporary rent-free accommodation, sufficient enough to accommodate approximately 240 students, to be provided by the concerned State Government to run the Vidyalaya for a period of 3 to 4 years,” Pradhan said in the letter.

“JNV, South 24 Parganas was sanctioned in the year 2007 and made functional during the academic year 2007-08 from a temporary site provided by the district administration,” Pradhan said, adding the administration had assured to transfer land in favour of NVS for construction of the permanent building. “However, the transfer of the offered land is still awaited and the temporary site has also been withdrawn during February, 2021. As a result, the students studying in the JNV, South 24 Paraganas-I had to be shifted to the nearby JNVs and further admissions to the Vidyalaya have also been put on hold,” he said. The minister requested the West Bengal CM to look into the matter personally and issue necessary instructions to the officers concerned to expedite the identification and transfer of suitable land and temporary accommodation. “…so that these vidyalayas can be made functional at the earliest in the larger interest of the education of the rural children of these two districts,” the minister said.

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