GNDU gets Sant Prem Singh Murale Wale Chair
Amritsar: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday inaugurated Sant Prem Singh Murale Wale Chair at Guru Nanak Dev University here.
The chair is set up in memory of the spiritual personality and eminent educationist with Rs 1 crore contribution from the state government in the current fiscal.
The CM is on a two-day visit to the city, where he will also lead the Independence Day celebrations on Sunday.
Sant Prem Singh Murale Wale had established Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa Lubana School in 1921 and subsequently another school was established in the memory of the saint.
Sant Prem Singh was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1937 and 1945, and remained a member of the SGPC from 1926 to 1950, playing a proactive role in the gurdwara reforms movement.
The CM also inaugurated the school of education, department of mass communication and other projects at the university.
He hoped that these projects will be instrumental in helping the university further cement its position amongst the best institutions in the country.
Sant Prem Singh Murale Wale Chair, he said, will help scholars and researchers undertake extensive research on the life and philosophy of the great saint, who was a pioneer of the practice of imparting formal education at a time when education was not considered important.
He expressed the confidence that the research done here will not remain confined to the university library but published as books to enable the world to know about the saint's contribution and sacrifices.
In response to concern expressed by minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa about the paucity of funds, he said grants will be increased for such research.
Bajwa, in his introductory remarks, had lamented that the chairs established in universities die their own death due to paucity of funds.
Lauding the enormous contribution of the Lubana community towards the spread of Sikhism, the CM said the pivotal role played by legendary devotees Makhan Shah Lubana and Lakhi Shah Vanjara, during the lifetime of ninth Sikh Guru Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, will continue to inspire Punjabis.
The CM later visited the Government Medical College and Hospital, where he inaugurated the basic science block and laid stone of a new hostel for boys.
