Question

Which government is behind the 'The Nalanda Proposal' proposing Nalanda as an ideal site for establishing a 21st century learning institution.

• A. Singapore
• B. India
• C. U.K
• D. China

Hint:

Its Foreign Minister George Yeo forwarded the idea to India in 2006.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Singapore is the government behind the Nalanda Proposal. Around 2006, Singapore's Foreign Minister at the time, George Yeo, sent this idea across to the Government of India. The pitch was simple but ambitious: rebuild Nalanda, the site of one of the world's oldest universities, into a fresh international centre of learning fit for the 21st century, once again pulling in students and scholars from across Asia and beyond.

This was not just a bilateral idea between two countries. When the East Asia Summit met in Cebu in the Philippines in January 2007, all sixteen participating governments, spanning much of Asia plus Australia and New Zealand, threw their support behind the plan. That collective push carried real weight, and by 2010 the Indian Parliament had passed the Nalanda University Act to make it official. The rebuilt university finally opened its doors for its first academic session in 2014.

It helps to be clear about roles here. India hosted the site and passed the enabling law, and China was one of many countries that later endorsed the plan at the summit, but neither originated the proposal. The U.K also had no role in floating this idea. The proposal itself traces back to Singapore, which confirms Singapore as the correct answer.