Agartala, Mar 8: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the Tripura campus of the Gujarat based National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and it would be the northeast region’s only such institute.

Shah, laying the foundation stone for the permanent campus on a 50 acre land at Srinagar of western Tripura’s Anandanagar, said that the institute would be a great benefit for the entire north-eastern region to deal with the diverse crimes.

Under the NFSU with its headquarters at Gandhinagar in Gujarat, the transit campus of the NFSU was established in Tripura in November last year at the B. Ed. College campus here.

There are two other campuses of the University functioning in New Delhi and Goa.

An official of the varsity said that the NFSU is the world’s first dedicated university for Forensic Science and its allied subjects. The NFSU is an institution of national importance under the Union Home Ministry.

In the Tripura campus, it would start four courses – BSc Forensic Science, MSc Forensic Science, MSc Cyber Security and MSc Digital Forensics and Information Security with an intake capacity of 50 each.

Unique programs like Drone Forensic, DNA Fingerprinting, wildlife Forensic, Fraud Investigation, Cyber crime and Digital Forensic, Narcotic Drugs analysis, Criminology, Forensic Food Investigation, Homeland Security related undergraduate and postgraduate programs would also be introduced at the NFSU’s Tripura campus.

The University is planning to invest around Rs 100 crore in the first phase and total investment of Rs 250 to Rs 300 crore in next five years, the official said. The varsity would also provide job opportunities to local people with 300 to 500 persons getting direct employment and 1500 persons indirect employment.

In the next 4 to 5 years, more than 30 to 40 Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses related to Forensic science and allied branches including PhD courses will be conducted here.

In the Tripura campus of the NFSU, a total of 3,000 to 4,000 students would be able to study after 4-5 years and 60 per cent are expected to be the girls and 200-300 foreign students are also expected each year.

The official said that the NFSU would also provide training to police officers, judges, security officials, bankers and other government officials.

Centre of excellence in Narcotic Drugs Analysis, Wildlife Crime, Cyber Security, Forensic Food Analysis, Nanotechnology, Toxicological Research Centres would also be established here, the official said.