Telangana Sanctions Rs 100 Crore for Ambedkar International Centre at BRAOU

Hyderabad:The Telangana government sanctioned ₹100 crore to set up the Dr B.R. Ambedkar International Institute for Dialogue on Governance and Equity — Briidge— at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) in Hyderabad. The proposed global research and academic centre will be located on a two-acre campus near Durgam Cheruvu and is designed to serve as a hub for interdisciplinary research, public policy dialogue, and leadership development, all rooted in Ambedkarite values.

Taking about the sanction on Saturday, BRAOU Vice Chancellor Prof. Ghanta Chakrapani said the state’s support was both “visionary and timely.” “This is not just about setting up a research facility,” he said. “It’s about institutionalising Dr Ambedkar’s ideas as living tools for shaping governance, equity, and inclusive development.”

The centre, conceived and proposed by BRAOU, will focus on global and national challenges of inequality, marginalisation, and social exclusion, with special attention to Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, women, persons with disabilities, third-gender individuals, and the elderly.

According to the proposal submitted to the government, Briidge will offer fellowships, academic training, mentorship for competitive examinations, and international collaborations with institutions like Columbia University and the London School of Economics, where Dr Ambedkar studied. At least four to six fellowships annually will be reserved for students from Telangana to pursue postgraduate research in global universities in fields such as law, sociology, economics, and development studies.

The Centre will also house leadership training programmes for grassroots Dalit youth, policy research units, and documentation centres focused on constitutional governance, Ambedkarite thought, and social justice. Annual international conferences, public lectures, visiting faculty exchanges, and summer schools on Ambedkar’s intellectual legacy are also part of its academic blueprint.

“Dr Ambedkar was a global thinker. We want this centre to reflect that by becoming a space for critical engagement, dialogue, and scholarship with real-world impact,” Prof. Chakrapani said. He added that a recurring annual grant of ₹10 crore had been requested to support fellowships, visiting faculty, leadership programmes, and ongoing research activities.

The Vice-Chancellor thanked Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and state officials for backing the idea. “Their swift and decisive support for BRIIDGE reflects a deep commitment to social justice and constitutional values,” he said.