The pet project of former CM Ashok Gehlot will have to deal with another blow as the Rajasthan Government is set to relocate the Rajiv Gandhi Tribal University from Udaipur to its interiors- near Beneshwar Dham in Dungarpur district. The university was introduced by Gehlot right before the assembly polls.

Also, the Haridev Joshi University for Journalism & Mass Communication, also introduced by Gehlot is being shut down.

Both the institutes were put under scanner by Raje Government when it came to power in December 2013.

The shift is likely to hit the Tribal University hard as according to insiders, it will be difficult to attract good faculty and provide a competitive environment in the interiors.

Presently the University runs at divisional headquarters of MLSU and has 82 PG students in the second year with admissions for the new batch already started. Apart from VC T.C Damor, former IG rank IPS officer, appointed by Gehlot government, the university has no regular faculty and has been dependent on guest faculty for conducting classes.

On the other hand, Higher Education Minister Kalicharan Saraf told, “The Tribal University is in the wrong location. We have identified another location for it between Dungarpur and Banswara in Beneshwar Dham. Currently, it operates out of a building in Udaipur, but a tribal university should be in the heart of tribal land and not in a city.”

“It will go to a place where the tribal will benefit the most. We also plan to affiliate all local colleges in the area to this university,” he added.