Patna, May 11: Union finance minister P. Chidambaram today said funds would not pose a hurdle for building the Nalanda University.

“Rs 2,154 crore would be required over 10 years. India has the capacity to spend that kind of money,” Chidambaram said. At the state hangar in Patna after returning from Rajgir, where he conducted an aerial survey of the Nalanda ruins and progress of the proposed new varsity, Chidambaram told reporters that he was here to acquaint himself with Nalanda. The university’s V-C and others briefed him.

The university, a dream project of chief minister Nitish Kumar, had organised a competition on November 21 to select the master plan and architectural design for the proposed campus. Ahmedabad-based Vastu Shilpa Consultants on May 6 bagged the project to design and build its campus.

Sources said the varsity administration plans to start academic activities from 2014-15 session. It also plans residential facilities for faculty and students associated with historical studies, and ecology and environment studies.

Concurring with Nobel laureates Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz, who advocated for incorporating the university into the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites, Chidambaram said: “I will talk to the minister of culture for providing additional manpower and resources to maintain this heritage site. It is a front-ranking candidate for being declared a World Heritage site.”

Twenty-nine heritage sites from India are on the heritage list, including the Mahabodhi Mahavihara at Bodhgaya, the only one from Bihar.

During his eight-minute media interaction, curtailed after his chopper developed a technical snag, Chidambaram also mentioned the state-level bankers’ meeting (SLBC) he attended to review the development of Bihar. He said he directed SBI to ask officials to make a field visit to ensure fulfilment of targets set for 2013-14. Unhappy with banks’ performances, he directed them to open up 750 branches across the state.

He also asked bankers to step up education loan and issuance of 11 lakh Kisan credit cards with ATM facilities.

The finance minister refused to take any questions on Pawan Bansal and Ahswani Kumar’s resignations. But he said the CBI has submitted before Calcutta High Court that it was willing to probe sham deposit collection companies and would go ahead if the court permits it (CBI).