Patna, Jan. 9: Afzal Amanullah, a Bihar native and retired IAS officer of the 1979 batch, has been made convener of a committee, drafted by the Union ministry of minority affairs, to set up five minority universities in the country.

The committee is supposed to give its report within three months. "The Centre wants to set up world class minority universities to impart education in all streams - medical, engineering, management, Ayurveda, Unani, arts, science and commerce," Amanullah told The Telegraph from Calcutta. "All units of the universities could be declared centres of excellence. The Centre will provide money for this."

There are 10 members on the committee to provide roadmap and details like where the institutes should come up.

"The government wants to start this new look university in which 40 per cent seats are reserved for women," Amanullah said. "There would be general category seats, too, but minority students would be given preference. I got to know of it yesterday and am going to Delhi tomorrow to get more details."

The panel will submit its report to the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF), affiliated to the minority affairs ministry.

Prominent among other members on the panel are Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Lt Gen Zameeruddin Shah, Jamia Millia Islamia professor Talat Ahmed, University of Calicut's former vice-chancellor Syed Iqbal Hasnain and former Parliamentarian Shahid Siddiqui. MAEF secretary D. Madhukar Naik is member secretary of the panel. Other members include banker Udayan Bose, educationists Feroze Bakht Ahmed and Qamar Agha and social activist Kulsoom Noor Saifullah.

Amanullah said that there was a plan to revamp AMU but because of litigation problems, the Centre decided to set up new universities.

"There were lot of controversy in AMU," Amanullah said. "But under the new plan, there would be no controversy. That apart, we can develop the institutions as per plan and vision. We have been asked to submit the report in three months. The proposed universities would function under the Maulana Azad Education Foundation. These minority universities would be totally separate, requiring 100 to 300 acres for each university."

Amanullah recently retired as secretary, ministry of parliamentary affairs. He is an alumnus of St Stephen's College, Delhi, from where he graduated in economics. He then did MA in economics from Delhi School of Economics and masters in public administration from Harvard University in US.

He has over 33 years experience, having held several important assignments in his cadre state and at the Centre. In Bihar, he has served as home secretary and principal secretary, water resources department, urban development department and industries departments.