New Delhi: The farmers in Delhi are gradually realizing the importance of education as they face the crunch while they are denied admissions in central universities due to no reservations for the Jats under OBC criteria.

A delegation from Delhi's villages called on Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday and presented to her a resolution offering 540 bighas of land in the Ghumanhera village in Najafgarh for opening of a State university.

A memorandum seeking opening of a new general university under the Delhi government and naming it after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was submitted to Ms. Dikshit at her residence by a delegation led by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Naresh Kumar and president of 360 Khap Palam Kisan, Chandra Solanki.

They said that opening of a new general university under the Delhi Government would benefit the farmers of Delhi as it would also help in implementation of the OBC reservation list under which the Jat community is covered.

"Since Delhi University (DU) is a Central University, this list is not implemented there, which is why the community at present, is deprived of reservation in admissions and securing jobs," said the delegation.

Dr.Kumar had earlier also raised this issue with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for inclusive development in the rural areas by asking to give a portion of the developed land to the farmers from whom it is acquired, said that the meeting was a historic landmark as the farmers have willfully offered to give the Gram Sabha land for a noble cause.

The delegation also mentioned its meeting with the Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on November 19 seeking the creation of a new university under the Delhi government.

Sibal had however given a green signal to the plea, in writing to Dikshit that, the government should consider the plan and avail the help of the Centre to set up a new state university providing incentives to the states during the 11th Plan since the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University does not have seats in general higher education, in which a majority of students from the rural areas of Delhi are interested.

Following the interaction, Dr. Kumar said the Chief Minister declared that she would soon work on forming this new university and thanked the farmers for offering to give their land to Delhi Government for the purpose.