About Consortium of Higher Educational Institutions

The Consortium for Higher Educational Institutes (CHEI) is a joint venture initiated by seven academic institutions at Bathinda which seeks to develop, explain and advance the research contributions to improve higher education and serve the local community. This Consortium includes Adesh Group of Institutions and Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Akal University, Baba Farid Group of Institutions (BFGI), Central University of Punjab (CUP), Guru Kashi University and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (MRSPTU).

Introduction of Institutes 
Adesh Group of Institutions and Hospital: The Adesh Group of Institutions, a pioneer in healthcare and higher education in medical and technical education, came into existence in the year 1990 at Sri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab. The Group established Adesh University at Bathinda, Punjab, under Govt. of Punjab Act No. 6 of 2012, running Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (estd. 2006) with an annual intake of 150 students in MBBS course and MD/MS post-graduate courses in various pre, para and clinical specialities recognized by Medical Council of India / Ministry of Health & FW, Govt. of India. The 700 bedded advanced teaching hospital (estd. 2005) is equipped with all modern diagnostic and treatment facilities in all clinical specialties and super-specialties. For outreached treatment and training facilities in urban and rural areas, the institution has established an Urban Health Training Centre and a Rural Health Training Centre. The university is also running the Adesh Institute of Dental Sciences & Research (estd. 2008) and offering the B.D.S. course with 100 annual intakes in the campus itself with approval of the Dental Council of India /Ministry of Health & FW, Govt. of India. In addition, there are B.Sc. Nursing with 100 annual intake, Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing with 40 annual intake, and GNM with 60 annual intake under the approval of the Indian Nursing Council; Bachelor of Physiotherapy with 60 annual intake; and B. Pharmacy with an annual intake of 60 seats; Pharm.D. 30 seats and other diploma, degree and master degree level programmes in Paramedical and Biomedical sciences with an annual intake of 300 students. 

Akal University: Akal University was established in 2015 under the Akal University Act, 2015 (Punjab Act No. 25 of 2015) and is included in the list of universities maintained by the University Grants Commission with the right to confer degrees as per section 2(f) of the UGC Act, 1956. Manifesting the visions of the tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the mission of Akal University is to impart literacy along with high-quality spiritual value-based education leading to the holistic development of all human beings. The Kalgidhar Society/Trust has mandated the Akal University to uphold three basic principles of higher education, namely, Teaching, Learning and Research, since its inception. Accordingly, the University has launched UG honors, PG honors and PhD Programmes in Life sciences, Physical Sciences, Computational Sciences, Para-medical Sciences, Education, Languages, Arts and Management. Well-equipped infrastructure, along with internationally trained, experienced and dedicated faculty, together create the research-friendly environment of the University. The University encourages interdisciplinary collaborations both within academia and with wider society and thus creates viable conditions for scientific breakthroughs and innovations. The results are evident in terms of approved research projects and publications made by both faculty members and students. Collaborations of the University with various leading industries and NGOs and the outcome-based course curriculum benefit the students to get the required skills and experience with the work atmosphere of industries. Students are also given focused training to excel in the nation-wide competitive exams. The university has established a Guru Nanak Dev ji Chair of excellence for research. 
All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS): AIIMS, Bathinda, is one of the apex healthcare institutes established by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY). As one of the All-India Institutes of Medical Sciences, it operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. AIIMS Bathinda spreads over a large area of about 177 Acres and is surrounded by lush green parks. It became operational in 2019, one of the six AIIMS to do so in 2019. The institute also offers 60 seats in B.Sc. Nursing and 50 seats in Post-Graduation (MD/MS) degrees. From the 2020 session, seats in MBBS are increased from 50 to 100. The vision of the institute is to provide speciality-based, evidence-based, equity-driven and state-of-the-art patient care to the Malwa region of Punjab and adjoining states with a focus on regional diseases and health issues; create an excellent academic, clinical and research environment for providing a platform for the development of quality medical services, teaching and research. The Institute also aims to achieve exemplary quality in medical education delivery and training and to render international standard quality patient care and health care. 

Baba Farid Group of Institutions (BFGI): Baba Farid Group of Institutions (BFGI), Bathinda, is a multi-college campus since 2005 which includes Baba Farid College, Baba Farid College of Engineering and Technology, Baba Farid College of Management and Technology & Baba Farid College of Education to achieve the mission “Academic Excellence for Empowerment”. All the colleges and respective departments have state-of-the-art infrastructure and are equipped with best-in-class laboratories as per the curriculum of the presently affiliating universities and central regulatory bodies. BFGI aims to provide quality education and prepare young minds to face the competitive world. BFGI has a lush green campus offering 50+ regular UG and PG programs. BFGI has a strong base of 30,000+ alumni. Baba Farid College is the first self-financed institution in Punjab whose B.Sc. Hons Agriculture program is approved by the Punjab Staby Council for Agricultural Education. Baba Farid College of Education is accredited with an A Grade by NAAC in the second cycle with a CGPA of 3.38. BFGI imparts education through innovative teaching pedagogy, experiential learning and project-based learning. Since its inception, BFGI has been guiding students through the Department of Career Guidance & Counseling. BFGI provides the facility of online aptitude tests and counselling to students by nationally recognized career experts. To make students realize their social responsibilities, sponsoring body has established a full-fledged centralized department of Social Welfare. 

BFGI runs an Incubation Centre called Baba Farid School of Entrepreneurship (BFSoE), the only such Centre in the 150 Km radius of the region. It is a registered entity under the Societies Registration Act 1860. It was set up to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among the faculty, staff, research scholars and students. To build the skill ecosystem in the region, BFGI established the Baba Farid School of Skill Development to change the conventional system of education by introducing skill-based and industry-oriented education. BFGI has established corporate collaboration with FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM and AIMA to strengthen skill-based education. BFGI has established a Centre of Excellence in Industrial Automation in collaboration with FESTO and in Artificial Intelligence with INTEL. BFGI also has academic collaboration with INFOSYS. BFGI has established the Baba Farid School of Competitive Studies to prepare students for various competitive exams. BFGI has established the Baba Farid School of International Studies to match up with global education standards and build sustainable, multi-dimensional relationships and partnerships that enhance the opportunities for students to study, research & be employable in any part of the world. 

Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) (hereinafter referred to as the CUPB): The Central University of Punjab was established in 2009 by an Act of Parliament. The University is accredited with an 'A+' grade by NAAC in the second cycle of accreditation in 2023. It has secured 81st, 85th, 87th and 95th rank in NIRF in the years 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, in the University category. It was ranked 26th in the Pharmacy category of NIRF in 2022. The university has a mission to provide a wide range of instructional and research facilities across disciplines, promote innovation in teaching and research, and cross-pollinate new ideas, technologies and worldviews. It has 31 departments and 11 schools in Sciences, Technology, Education, Humanities, Social Sciences and Law disciplines, along with 4 Centres and 3 Chairs (Sri Guru Gobind Singh Chair, Satguru Baba Ram Singh Chair & Baba Saheb B. R. Ambedkar Chair. It offers 44 PG and 29 PhD programmes, besides four certificate and two diploma courses in these disciplines. Despite the locational disadvantage, the University, in a true sense, is a multi-cultural mini India as it has students from 29 states, faculty from 25 states, most of them are trained, and non-teaching staff from 12 states. The University has been a forerunner in terms of research projects and publications among the newly established Central Universities, which is evident from the Faculty to Projects and Faculty to Publications Ratio. 

Guru Kashi University: Guru Kashi University has been founded by Balaji Education Trust, Talwandi Sabo, which was established in 1997 and became the foundation stone for education in this region. The first college, Guru Gobind Singh Polytechnic, was established in 1998, and later graduate and postgraduate programmes were added. In 2001, Guru Gobind Singh College of Engineering & Technology was established, followed by Guru Gobind Singh College of Education in 2005. In 2006, the GGS Institute of IT and Research and the GGS College of Nursing came into existence. In 2011, Guru Kashi University was established by the Punjab Act No. 37 of 2011. Since then, the university has been growing and catering to the needs of local, national and global areas in the lap of natural beauty. Being located in a rural area, the university caters to the demands of agriculture and has started various programmes under the College of Agriculture. It has double accreditation, i.e., from ICAR and PCAR. The university has also created links with peer universities and institutions at local, national and international levels to enhance research and teaching exposure. The university offers 50+ programmes at undergraduate, graduate and doctorate levels and follows the Choice Based Credit System. The curriculum is Learning Outcome based at all levels, and Multiple Entry and Exist system has been adopted. Following e-governance is another administrative facilitator system of the university. The institute has excellent facilities and opportunities for sports and cultural activities, and students are provided with a high level of coaching in individual and team games. 

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (MRSPTU): Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (hereinafter referred to as the MRSPTU): MRSPTU is an affiliating Technical University, established by Govt. of Punjab vide Punjab Act No. 5 of 2015 notified through Punjab Government Gazette-Extraordinary (Regd. No. CHD/0092/2015-2017) notification No. 5- Leg./2015 dated 12th February 2015 and registered u/s 2(f) and approved u/s 12B by UGC. With a spontaneous upswing in demand for quality Technical Education, the University was established to mitigate regional imbalance in the distribution of temples of quality technical education in the state, for exponential socio-economic growth of the Malwa region, to bridge the gap between demand and supply of the employable technical human resource. The University presently caters to 51 affiliated and 5 constituted colleges in Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Sangrur and Sri Muktsar Sahib districts. The objectives of MRSPTU are to provide, upgrade and promote quality technical education, training and research and to create a strong innovation ecosystem and a conducive environment for the pursuit of outcome-driven industry-academia interaction. The University is accredited by NAAC and featured among the Beginner band in the ARIIA ranking and is also a member of the Association of India Universities. With students from 23 states, it presently offers more than 70 academic programmes at UG, PG and Doctoral levels with the implementation of CBCS and OBE practices. MRSPTU is a frontrunner in providing consultancy in various areas and leading research linked with regional and societal issues. 


Purpose of Agreement :
All the participating institutions have recognized the importance of strong collaboration between HEIs in terms of research, academic activities and social outreach with an aim to meet the goals of NEP 2020. Further, the consortium aims to focus on other areas like the advancement of knowledge-based enterprises, appropriate technical and management skills for future technology development, information exchange, and work towards effective research institution-academic partnerships for human resource development. 

Joint responsibilities:

• Offer joint degree/diploma/certificate courses to advance the field of education, research and promote cutting-edge lines of study.
• Provide a forum for academic, research, technical institutions and hospitals to share infrastructure, equipment, library and other resources.
• Joint supervision of PhD programs, projects, internship and dissertation work of graduate and postgraduate students.
• Conduct joint training programs, seminars, webinars, and conferences to promote knowledge and enhance research and other skills.
• Joint research projects for attracting extramural funding.
• Collaborative efforts to address the environmental and health issues of the region. 
• Promote faculty-student exchange
• Promote entrepreneurial activity.
• Joint consultancy work.
• Organize joint placement drives.

Period and its extension 
This consortium will be active from the date of signing the MoU by all the stakeholders and will be effective initially for five years and is extendable depending upon the progress in terms of tangible outcomes. The set objectives will be periodically reviewed to assess the progress and also to recognize new areas for collaboration. 

MoU Consortium of Higher Educational Institutions CHEIJ 
Format: PDF Size 5.9 MB Dated:14.04.2023