IISc campus likely to come up in Anantapur

HYDERABAD - The second campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, is likely to come up in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district.

Union Minister for Human Resources Development Kapil Sibal in a letter to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah Saturday said the central government was examining a proposal of Andhra Pradesh in this regard and had discussed the idea with IISc, Bangalore.

The IISc, Bangalore, has informed that internal discussions have been held and initial proposals were to create an advanced research centre, a science park and an incubation centre, said a statement from the chief minister’s office.

Sibal wrote that a Memorandum of Understanding for the sale of land, the time frame for making available the basic infrastructure, among other things, was under preparation and further developments would be communicated on receipt of fresh inputs from IISc, Bangalore.

Rosaiah thanked United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sibal and IISc, Bangalore, for the move to establish the second campus of IISc in the state. He said it would be a boon for the backward district of Anantapur.

The chief minister said the entire credit for this goes to former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who made efforts to get the IISc campus.

YSR, as the late chief minister was popularly known, had even identified 1,000 acres of land in Anantapur district, about 70 km from Bangalore International Airport.