The Gandhigram Rural Institute (GRI) is an Indian university that was founded in 1956 as a small, rural college. Based on Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of Nai Talim system of education, GRI has developed academic programmes in Rural Development, Rural Economics and Extension Education, Rural Oriented Sciences, Cooperation, Development Administration, Rural Sociology, English and Communicative Studies, and, Tamil and Indian Languages. Its students are trained to meet the personnel needs for rural development under various governmental and non-governmental schemes. The work of the institute invited national attention and the Government of India (Ministry of Education), on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission, conferred the status of a Deemed University on the Institute under Section (3) of the UGC Act of 1956, on August 3, 1976.
The institute has grown to comprise seven faculties, offering about 50 programmes. It awards Doctoral, Master's and Bachelor's degrees, Diplomas and Certificates. It has 2,300 students and 125 teaching and 250 non-teaching staff.
"One of our major challenges in the coming years is the restructuring of our educational system," stated the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, inaugurating the university on March 8, 1977. "The experience of Gandhigram will be useful in this."
The Gandhigram Rural University has a campus of nearly 200 acres (0.81 km2) in a rural setting, nestling in one of the enclaves of the Sirumalai range, north of Madurai.
Gandhigram is around 12 km from Dindigul which is the nearest District Headquarters. Dindigul is also the nearest major railway station. The nearest airport is Madurai, about 55 km away. Anna Hazare was awarded Honorary Doctorate by this university in 2005.
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