TN: College named after Abdul Kalam to be set up
(Sourced from PTI)
Honoring late A P J Abdul Kalam, the Tamil Nadu government today announced that it would set up a new arts and science college named after the former President in his native town of Rameswaram. The college will be established next year, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam announced in the state budget for 2019-20 presented in the Assembly today. Read the details here.
"I am glad to announce that this government will establish a new arts and science college at Rameswaram during 2019-20, which will be named after Dr APJ Abdul Kalam," said Panneerselvam. He said that the college infrastructure will include underground and multilevel parking facilities and will also have an on-lane smart parking that would accommodate two lakh four-wheelers and an equal number of two-wheelers.
Kalam, who was the President from 2002-2007, used to love interacting with the student community and had collapsed and died while delivering a lecture at the IIM-Shillong on July 27, 2015. His body has been buried in Rameswaram, where he did his primary schooling. After the death of the Missile Man, the then CM J Jayalalithaa had announced constituting an award named after Kalam.
The award was to be given away to an individual in recognition of his or her contribution to scientific development, humanities, and students' welfare. The Kalam Award carries a gold medal and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh besides a certificate. She had also announced the government would celebrate Kalam's birth anniversary, October 15, every year as Youth Awakening Day.
