PATNA: The state assembly on Wednesday passed three Bills, including the Bihar Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2017 that envisages to relax the rules for opening a private university. While the varsity Bill was passed unanimously, the two other Bills were passed by voice vote. One of them pertained to the repeal of the existing Bihar Krishak evam Gramin Kshetra Vikas Agency Act to facilitate the merger of the four command area development agencies of the Sone, Gandak, Kosi and Kiul-Badua river basins. The other Bill was an amendment Bill related to the inclusion of the provision for payment of pension to MLAs and MLCs in the Act (2006) governing the payment of salaries and allowances to them. The Accountant General had objected to the pension to the lawmakers as it was not provided for in the pay Act, said parliamentary affairs minister Shrawan Kumar. As for the varsity Bill, education minister Ashok Choudhary said the Act had been framed in 2013 to allow a new private university to run from its premises having an area of 10,000 square metres in a building for two years before shifting to the place designated in the project report. As per the amendment, such a university can be run from the premises of even 5,000 square metres for four years before shifting to the designated place, Choudhary said.