Narnaul (Haryana), Jan 4 : A new central university, the first in Haryana, started functioning Monday in the state's educationally and economically backward Mahendragarh district.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inaugurated the first academic session of the university, in the district, 300 km from Chandigarh.

With its own campus spread over 500 acres at Jant-Pali town, 7 km from Mahendragarh town, yet to be built, classes of the university have been started from the complex of B. Ed. College, Narnaul. Mool Chand Sharma is the first vice-chancellor of the university.

Fully funded by the central government, the university has admitted the first batch of 32 students for M. Phil. and Ph. D courses.

Saying that the 21st century was the "knowledge century" and India needed to keep pace with it by investing in the field of education, Hooda said the state government is doing everything to promote Haryana as an education hub.

"Our government is making efforts to make Haryana emerge as an education hub. The Rajiv Gandhi Education City is being set up in Sonipat district. North India's first women university, the Bhagat Phool Singh Women University has been set up at Khanpur Kalan and a medical college for women is also being established there," Hooda said.

"In addition to it, many major institutes were being set up in the state. These included a Medical College in Mewat, Sainik School in district Rewari and an IIM (Indian Institute of Management) at Rohtak," he said.

There is also a plan to set up a defence university in Gurgaon district, Hooda said. (IANS)

The Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak has been upgraded as a University of Health Sciences, he added.