The Vice Chancellor of Punjab University, Prof Raj Kumar met the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh here yesterday and discussed the setting up of a separate hostel for students from Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir in the premises of Punjab University at Chandigarh.Prof Raj Kumar informed Dr Jitendra Singh that since the Punjab University was attracting increasing number of students from Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir with each passing year, it would, therefore, be desirable to have a separate hostel facility for students from peripheral states of Jammu & Kashmir and the eight states of Northeast, who otherwise are constrained to look for accommodation outside the University campus.Dr Jitendra Singh told the Vice Chancellor that the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and the North Eastern Council(NEC) have, in the last four years, undertaken the task of constructing exclusive hostels for students from Northeast in such Universities where the number of these students was reasonably high.In this regard, he disclosed that an exclusive hostel for North Eastern students is under construction in the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and similarly, another such hostel is nearly complete with construction, in the campus of Bangalore University. He further informed that a piece of land has been acquired at Rohini to construct a hostel for Northeast students undergoing studies in the Delhi University.As far as construction of hostel for North Eastern and Jammu & Kashmir students in the Punjab University is concerned, Dr Jitendra Singh said that he will work out the feasibility within the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and North Eastern Council(NEC). He said, he will also take up the issue with the Human Resource Development(HRD) Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar and also personally write to him to help in funding from the HRD sources.