Friday, March 29, 2024

UP govt signs MoU with ‘non-existent university’ in US to build ₹35,000 crore’s Smart City

On 18 December, the Uttar Pradesh government announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with “Austin University in San Francisco, USA, to build a Knowledge Smart City at the cost of Rs 35,000 crore.”

But the university is fake. Official records from the US show that the university’s official approval to operate was revoked barely 10 days before the announcement.

After facing criticism over signing MoU with the non-existent “Austin University”, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday ‘clarified’ that it had signed an MoU with the Austin Consulting Group (ACG) of the United States.

According to an order issued by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, approval granted in 2011 to Austin University in San Francisco to operate as a “non-accredited private postsecondary education institution” was revoked on December 8, 2022. The authorities also imposed a fine of USD 9,965 on it.

The BJP government faced embarrassment after reports in media highlighted that the State of California in the U.S. has already taken action against this “university.”

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that they had seen the reports about the controversy over the MoU but said they were not responsible for the outcomes of the delegation’s visit, and that MoUs were negotiated “directly” by the State government.

Samajwadi Party president and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav alleged that not a penny of investment has come from abroad and asked the BJP government “to not mislead the people in the name of investment”. He added: “The BJP government must explain how much capital investment was made in Uttar Pradesh through the last capital investment summit and how many got employment. The truth is that during the tenure of the BJP government, not a single industry is visible on the ground. We demand a White Paper.”

spot_img

Don't Miss

Related Articles