New Delhi: Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal, while addressing a delegation of Jat leaders, announced that the Ministry is mooting starting a new university under the Government of Delhi, thereby adding more colleges, along with the existing 28, under its umbrella.

The Minister said that, "The Centre would provide one-third funds required to build such a structure. Apart from a technical university (i.e, Indraprastha University), there is no general university under the Delhi Government, thus, setting up of such an institute is desirable."

He further said that after such a university is established it would be able to provide reservations to the Jats and other communities.

Such a proposal was earlier put forward to the HRD Minister by a delegation led by All-India Congress Committee member Naresh Kumar, All-India Jat Sabha president Virender Singh, 360 Khap Palam president Kishen Chandra Solanki, and MLAs Bharat Singh and Jaswant Rana to implement the same in the Delhi University (DU) colleges but, since DU is a Central university, it did not include Jats in its reservation list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Dr. Kumar reverted with a strong reaction upon such a denial by saying that, "The Delhi police too comes under the Centre but it allows reservation list of both the OBC and of Delhi."

Adding, he expressed the dire need to set up a general university in Delhi that is owned by the government.

In the mean time, the Delhi government wrote to the HRD Ministry stating that the Central list of the OBCs for reservation in academic vacancies have been implemented in its 28 colleges.

"These colleges, being funded by the Delhi Government should consider the State list of OBCs along with the Central list for the purpose of recruitment," said the Deputy Director (Education), A.K. Singh.

The letter also mentioned that the matter has been taken up by the Delhi Government's both Law and Service Departments and it has been advised to take it up with the Union HRD Ministry.