Chief minister Arjun Munda in Khunti on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Khunti, July 19: Education could just be the push Khunti needed to turn the wheels of its fortunes with chief minister Arjun Munda today announcing that he planned to make the district the learning hub of the state.

Perched on his father’s shoulders, 12-year-old Bhado Manjhi listened animatedly as the chief minister unveiled his ambitious plans to create a “knowledge city” in the heart of the district plagued by poor infrastructure.

“Thoda upar (a bit higher),” Bhado urged his 39-year-old father Kishen Manjhi as he craned his neck to get a better view. Around him were a 1,000 others, many among them young, for whom the dream of higher education suddenly seemed not so far away after all.

Accompanied by local BJP MLA Neelkant Singh Munda and other officials, the chief minister said the knowledge city would change the face of Khunti forever.

“Khunti is the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. It’s blessed land. However, our aim now is to make this place intellectually rich by turning it into a knowledge hub,” Munda said in his second recent announcement on improving the standard of higher education in the state. Last week, he had announced setting up of two new colleges for women in Ranchi.

“Brain drain is rampant in Jharkhand because of lack of quality education and research facilities. Also, there are many who cannot afford higher studies. So we have planned a knowledge city centre that would be home to every kind of institution of higher learning — medical, management, research, vocational training, et al — at once place,” he explained.

According to Munda, all existing educational cradles scattered around the state would be shifted to one common centre. “This will bring prosperity for locals, quality and cheap higher education for children and employment opportunities,” he said.

But why Khunti? “People of the district have realised the importance of education. They have come forward to give us land. The reason I decided to visit today was to take stock of things,” the chief minister said, even as murmurs of dissent rose from the villagers present about never promising land that is their source of livelihood to the government.

However, later speaking to The Telegraph, the chief minister maintained that he had directed the deputy commissioner to prepare a data bank of landowners and complete the acquisition process in three months.

“As of now 450 acres is available for us. The place is an hour away from the capital and many have expressed their willingness to give us land. We have appointed a consultant to prepare a land use pattern report in three months,” Munda said.

Though today’s announcement came as a surprise, the state government has been for the last one year talking about a knowledge city in Khunti. The reason the Khunti administration had not been able to acquire land so far was because of lack of proper resolution from the government.

Though it may be sometime before the chief minister’s announcement takes concrete shape, the likes of Bhado have something to look forward to. “My elder son was good in studies but couldn’t continue because I had no money. If the government’s claim comes true, my youngest son can study when he grows up,” said Manjhi, who himself studied till Class V.