CENTRAL UNIVERSITIES AMENDMENT BILL (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Social Issues)

Context: Recently, the Parliament passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023, with the Rajya Sabha giving its assent. Prior to this, the Lok Sabha had already passed the Bill.

Parliament passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023

• About: The Bill amends the Central Universities Act, 2009, which establishes central universities for teaching and research in various states.
• Central Tribal University in Telangana: The Bill establishes a Central Tribal University in Telangana. It will be named the ‘Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University’. 

oIts territorial jurisdiction will extend to Telangana. 

• Objective: It will provide avenues of higher education and research facilities primarily for the tribal population of India.  
• Note that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 provides that the central government will establish a Tribal University in the state of Telangana.

Sammakka Sarakka

• About: Sammakka and Sarakka, a legendary mother-daughter duo, hailed from the Dandakaranya region, now part of Telangana, and lived several centuries ago.
• Sammakka, the wife of feudal chief Pagididda Raju from the Kakatiya dynasty, along with her daughters Sarakka, Nagulamma, and Jampanna, played crucial roles in resisting oppressive rulers and challenging taxation imposed on the Koya tribal people.
• During a battle against local rulers, Saralamma, one of Sammakka's daughters, made the ultimate sacrifice.