Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Different civil society groups have raised the demand for setting up a separate state university for Latur in Marathwada.Highlighting that Latur has established an identity as an educational hub of Maharashtra over the years, these groups have sought bifurcation of the Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada (SRTM) University, Nanded, to carve out a new varsity.An action committee formed by local residents to pursue the demand for the new university held a demonstration at the Gandhi Chowk area of Latur on Saturday. Chetan Patil, one of the people seeking a separate university, said the demand for a state university in Latur has fallen on deaf ears since 2014. Latur district has 118 colleges, including 40 in Latur city alone. Students from different parts of Maharashtra and other states prefer Latur for higher education. A dedicated university will ensure further growth of Latur, he said.While Latur and SRTM Universitys Nanded headquarters are nearly 135km apart, the varsity had set up a sub-centre in Latur in 2007-2008. The facility was created following the recommendation of the Maharashtra government in response to public demand.Advocacy groups allege the sub-centre has minimal role to play and students and college authorities still have to visit Nanded for different academic and administrative works. The elected representatives only give hollow assurances and fail to take any concrete action. As the winter session of the state legislature is in progress, we want our demand for a separate university to be raised there, Ramraje Kale, a local leader, said.Chandrakant Patil, the minister for higher and technical education, could not be reached for his comment. When contacted, SRTM University officials also refused to comment on the issue and downplayed the demand for a separate university.We also published the following articles recentlyMaharashtra universities to offer free education to transgender studentsThe state government in Mumbai has asked public universities to offer free education to transgender students. The move aims to encourage the trans community to pursue higher education and create a more inclusive environment on campuses. Universities will hold gender sensitisation programmes and establish study centres exclusively for transgender students. While activists welcome the initiative, they believe there is still a long way to go in terms of supporting the transgender community in education and employment.Madras University semester exams new dates announcedMadras University announces rescheduled semester exams from December 11 to 16 due to cyclone Michaung. Originally scheduled from December 4 to 9, the exams were postponed. Visit www.unom.ac.in for more details.

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