CM Fadnavis at Gondwana University: Mining to AI skilling push
Synopsis
CM Devendra Fadnavis and Governor Jishnu Dev Varma attended Gondwana University's 14th convocation in Gadchiroli, launching Phase 2 of an industry-partnered tech institute, announcing a Curtin University mining collaboration, releasing an Ambedkar tribute volume, and calling on universities to align curricula with AI and quantum computing demands.
Key Takeaways
14th Convocation of Gondwana University, Gadchiroli was held on 15 November 2026 , attended by CM Devendra Fadnavis and Governor Jishnu Dev Varma .
Groundbreaking for Phase 2 of the University Institute of Technology — a joint venture between Gondwana University and Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited — was performed at the event.
A new academic collaboration with Curtin University, Australia , will develop world-class mining and metallurgy talent for Gadchiroli and all of India.
CM Fadnavis invoked NEP 2020 and called on universities to prepare students for semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing amid converging industrial revolutions.
Women accounted for 55% to 75% of merit-list positions at this year's convocation, hailed as a positive social shift.
A commemorative volume 'Manavmuktichya Deepstambh' on Dr.
Ambedkar was released; Fadnavis urged universities to teach Ambedkar's 'Grammar of Anarchy' concept.
A naxal-scarred district that once made headlines for insurgency is now being scripted into India's skilling story. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Governor Jishnu Dev Varma presided over the 14th Convocation of Gondwana University in Gadchiroli on Sunday, 15 November 2026, anchoring the ceremony around a bold pitch — that education, skill-building, and emerging technology can rewrite the future of one of Maharashtra's most underserved tribal districts.
A second campus takes shape: Lloyds Metals and the University Institute of Technology
The centrepiece announcement was the groundbreaking for the second phase of the University Institute of Technology — a joint venture between Gondwana University and Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited, the mining and metals company that has become one of the most significant industrial presences in the Gadchiroli belt. CM Fadnavis described the partnership as 'an excellent institution built through collaboration between Gondwana University and Lloyds Metals,' noting that industry participation would give students access to 'cutting-edge technology and hands-on training opportunities.'
That industrial spine is set to gain a global vertebra. The Chief Minister announced an academic collaboration with Curtin University, Australia — ranked among the world's foremost institutions in mining and metallurgy — which he said would produce 'globally competitive skilled manpower not just for Gadchiroli but for India's entire mining and metallurgy sector.'
NEP 2020, the fifth industrial revolution, and what Gadchiroli must prepare for
Fadnavis framed the university's mandate squarely inside the National Education Policy 2020, which gives universities flexibility to reshape curricula around employment realities. He went further, warning that the global economy is simultaneously experiencing 'a fifth and sixth industrial revolution forming together' in the wake of Industry 4.0. Semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Computing, he argued, will transform every sector — and universities bear the responsibility of building the human capital to seize those opportunities.
Gondwana University, established in 2011 specifically to close the higher-education gap in tribal eastern Maharashtra, has steadily improved its academic standing. Fadnavis expressed confidence it would produce talent for Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Vidarbha, and Maharashtra as a whole as these technological shifts accelerate.
Girls dominating the merit list — and an Ambedkar tribute at the podium
The convocation also put a striking gender data point on the table: 55% to 75% of positions on the merit list at this year's ceremony were held by women graduates. Fadnavis congratulated gold medallists and award recipients before making a pointed observation — 'women and men must become equal partners in the development process,' he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) and a Viksit Maharashtra could only be realised on that foundation. He also called on male students to step up and compete on merit.
Also released at the event was 'Manavmuktichya Deepstambh' — a commemorative volume on the life and thought of Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Fadnavis used the occasion to call for Ambedkar's concept of the 'Grammar of Anarchy' — his warning against constitutional subversion — to be taught specifically within universities, stressing that constitutional institutions must remain trusted and that Ambedkar's ideas must reach ordinary citizens.
Present at the event were Vice Chancellor Dr. Prashant Bokare, Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited Managing Director B. Prabhakaran, and legislator Dr. Milind Narote.
What the Curtin partnership and Phase 2 campus mean in practice
The specifics of the Curtin University collaboration timeline and the student intake targets for the second-phase campus are yet to be publicly detailed. But the structural logic is clear: a district sitting atop one of India's richest mineral belts is being equipped to train the engineers and metallurgists who will work those resources — legally, technically, and sustainably. If the partnership delivers, Gadchiroli stops exporting raw ore and starts exporting skilled graduates. That is a different kind of transformation entirely.
Point of View
And replace isolation with global academic partnership. Anchoring Gondwana University's expansion to both a domestic industrial player (Lloyds Metals) and an international mining institution (Curtin University) reflects the Fadnavis administration's preference for public-private co-investment over state-alone spending in Vidarbha. The Ambedkar 'Grammar of Anarchy' reference is politically deliberate — invoking constitutional legitimacy at a tribal university carries weight in a region where state authority has historically been contested. If the Curtin collaboration and Phase 2 campus deliver measurable graduate placement in the mining and metallurgy sector, Gadchiroli becomes a replicable template for resource-rich but educationally underserved districts elsewhere in India.
NationPress
15 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was announced at Gondwana University's 14th convocation?
The groundbreaking for Phase 2 of the University Institute of Technology in partnership with Lloyds Metals, an academic collaboration with Curtin University Australia for mining and metallurgy training, and the release of a commemorative book on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar were the key announcements.
What is the Curtin University-Gondwana University collaboration about?
Curtin University, Australia — a leading institution in mining and metallurgy — has entered an academic partnership with Gondwana University, Gadchiroli to build world-class skilled manpower for India's mining and metallurgy sector.
What did CM Fadnavis say about the National Education Policy 2020?
CM Fadnavis said NEP 2020 gives universities the flexibility to redesign curricula in line with real employment needs, and urged them to prepare graduates for emerging technologies like AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing.
What is 'Grammar of Anarchy' and why did CM Fadnavis mention it?
'Grammar of Anarchy' is Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's warning against using unconstitutional means to achieve political ends; CM Fadnavis called for this concept to be specifically taught in universities to reinforce faith in constitutional institutions.
How did girls perform in Gondwana University's merit list?
Women graduates accounted for 55% to 75% of merit-list positions at the 14th convocation, which CM Fadnavis described as a highly positive development in education.
