The Union Cabinet on Thursday (November 20) approved the establishment of Ghani Khan Choudhary Institute of Engineering and Technology in Malda, West Bengal. Initially, the institution would start with certificate level courses leading to Diploma, Degree and Post-graduate levels later.

The proposed Institution will offer courses in Engineering and Technology to cater to the various manpower requirements of the region, with special emphasis on courses relevant to the local population such as in food technology and sericulture. The total project outlay of the institute will be around Rs. 97 crores.

Ghani Khan Choudhary was a prominent politician of West Bengal and a senior leader of Indian National Congress party. He was popularly known as Barkatda, among his friends and supporters. During 1982-1984, he was appointed the Minister of Railways in Indira Gandhi's cabinet.

Ghani Khan Choudhary was first elected to the State Legislative Assembly in 1952. From 1971 to 1977, he served as a Minister in the government of West Bengal. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. His popularity in the region can be assumed from the fact the he was elected to Parliament for six occasions from Malda. He served as president of the West Bengal Congress and as a general secretary to the All India Congress Committee. He was instrumental in introducing the Metro Railways and Circular Railways in Kolkata. His surviving siblings, both politicians, are Abu Hashem Khan Choudhary and Rubi Noor.