Section 3F of the Central Universities Act, 2009 - Establishment of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in Gujarat

Section 3F of the Central Universities Act, 2009 provides the statutory basis for Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya at Vadodara, Gujarat. The provision was inserted by the Central Universities (Amendment) Act, 2022 and came into force on 6 December 2022.

Text and meaning of Section 3F

What Section 3F does

1. Establishes Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya as a statutory body corporate

Section 3F(1) gives the institution its status under the Central Universities Act, 2009. The earlier National Rail and Transportation Institute at Vadodara had operated as a deemed-to-be University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956. Section 3F provides for its establishment under the Central Universities Act by the name Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.

2. Gives the University all-India territorial jurisdiction

Unlike provisions that confine a Central University's territorial jurisdiction to a particular State or Union territory, Section 3F(2) expressly extends the territorial jurisdiction of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya to the whole of India, subject to the First Schedule to the Act.

3. Places sponsorship and funding with the Ministry of Railways

Section 3F(3) is a special funding provision. It states that the University is to be sponsored and funded by the Central Government in the Ministry of Railways. Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya therefore has a distinct statutory link with the transport and railway sector while remaining a Central University established under Parliamentary legislation.

Meaning of Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956

Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 empowers the Central Government, on the advice of the University Grants Commission, to declare by notification that an institution for higher education other than a University shall be deemed to be a University for the purposes of that Act. Once such a declaration is made, the provisions of the UGC Act apply to that institution as if it were a University within the meaning of the Act.

Official text: University Grants Commission Act, 1956 - India Code.

Legislative history of Section 3F

Section 3F was inserted by Section 3 of the Central Universities (Amendment) Act, 2022 (Act 17 of 2022), with effect from 6 December 2022. The consolidated Central Universities Act, 2009 published on India Code records the same commencement date.

Official consolidated Act: Central Universities Act, 2009 - India Code PDF.

Current status of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya

Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, Vadodara, continues to operate as a Central University under the Ministry of Railways. Its academic focus includes transportation, logistics, engineering, management and related multidisciplinary fields.

Official University website: Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.

Note: This page is an explanatory article on Section 3F. For authoritative legal text, amendments and commencement details, refer to the official India Code version of the Central Universities Act, 2009 and the relevant Gazette notifications.

Legal position reviewed against the current consolidated Central Universities Act, 2009 available from India Code.