Odisha HRD

Letter to the prime minister, HRD minister, Tribal Affairs minister with copy to Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Planning Commission members and Chief Minister of Orissa

December 1st, 2006

To:

Dr. Manmohan Singh
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi, India-110011.
Telephone: 91-11-23012312.
Fax: 91-11-23019545/91-11-23016857.
email: pmosb@pmo.nic.in
http://pmindia.nic.in/write.htm

Mr. Arjun Singh
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Government of India Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi-110001
arjuns@sansad.nic.in

Mr. P. R. Kyndiah
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shastri Bhavan,
New Delhi-110001, India.
dirit@tribal.nic.in

cc: Smt. Sonia Gandhi
President: INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
24, Akbar Road, New Delhi 110011 ,
INDIA
TEL : 91-11-23019080
FAX : 91-11-23017047
10janpath@vsnl.net aicc@congress.org.in

Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Government of India.
Tel. No.: (Off.) 23096677, 2309 6666/ 96 Fax: 23096699 Extn. 2132/34
dch@nic.in

Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar
Member of the Planning Commission,
Government of India, New Delhi.
Tel. No.: (Off.) 23096622, 2309 6666/ 96 Extn. 2129 Email:
b.mungekar@nic.in

Shri Naveen Patnaik
Chief Minister, Orissa
cmo@ori.nic.in

Sub: Establishment of one of the new IITs in Orissa and a central
university in the KBK region of Orissa.

Dear Esteemed Prime minister, HRD minister and Minister of Tribal
Affairs:

Sirs: It has been recently reported [1,2] that the Government of
India is planning to establish 3 new IITs and other national level
institutions that are fully funded by the HRD ministry such as new
IIMs, IISERs and SPAs. The news item [2] mentions that the reporter
was told by an HRD official that the new institutes will come up in
areas where the higher education facilities are not very good. It
quotes an HRD official saying that “We will look at new town and
cities for establishing the centres of excellence.” Along those
lines in [3], in the context of the proposed IIESTs, it was reported
that on October 21, 2005 the planning commission said that the IITs
should be spread as far and wide and should be in seven different
states where neither an IIT nor an IIM existed. It went on to quote
Prof. Bhalchandra Mungekar, Member (Education), Planning Commission
saying: “I suggested that institutes of national importance should
be dispersed as widely as possible for balanced regional
development.”

Sirs: We would like to request that one of the three new IITs (each
of which are reported to be made with an investment of Rs 4000
crores in the first six years) be established in Orissa, the poorest
state of India – according to [4] 47.15% of the population of Orissa
was below the poverty line in 1999-2000 – with no HRD ministry
funded institution beyond one (at Rourkela) of the 21 NITs. Thus at
present, Orissa does not have an IIT, IIM, central university,
centrally funded IIIT, IISER/IISc., etc; nor does it have any
institution of national importance. None of the five proposed IIESTs
are in Orissa. In contrast several other states have multiple
institutions of national importance, central universities, IITs,
IIMs, etc.

In recent years Orissa has been desperately trying to get out of its
poverty and has been successful in attracting many industries
(steel, aluminum, cement, power, IT etc.) and infrastructure
projects (Dhamara and Gopalpur ports) and it continues to engage
other industrialists to set shop in Orissa and contribute towards
getting Orissa out of its poverty. Many private engineering colleges
have also come up in Orissa, but they are struggling because of the
lack of Master/PhD level educational opportunities nearby, from
where they could recruit faculty or their faculty could go for
higher degrees.

Thus a new full-fledged IIT in Orissa will not only compensate for
the 50+ years of neglect of Orissa by past HRD ministries but will
also help Orissa in its recent efforts – via industrialization,
infrastructure building and additional HRD opportunities – to get
out of poverty. Furthermore, if the criterion for the location of
the new IITs is to have them in the backward areas of the country
then Southern Orissa is the most backward and deprived district
cluster of India. According to [5], in southern Orissa, 89.17% of
the people (1999-2000 NSS data) and 72% of the families (1997
census) are below the poverty line. Southern Orissa includes the
ill-famed KBK districts where the literacy rate is 36.58% with the
female literacy at 24.72%. They also have a very high tribal
population of 38.72% (+ 16.63 % SC) in the eight KBK districts.

Some say that for an IIT to benefit the country, it needs to be in
an accessible location. Orissa has well accessible locations
including a few in the backward Southern Orissa.

Besides a new IIT, which will significantly help Orissa, the
ill-famed KBK districts of Orissa desperately need additional help
in terms of a multi-campus central university with units across
various towns of KBK.

The literacy rates in the KBK districts are as follows: Malkangiri
31.26%, Nabarangpur 34.26%, Rayagada 35.61%, Koraput 36.2%, Nuapada
42.29%, Kalahandi 46.2%, Balangir 54.93%, Sonepur 64.07%. Two
adjacent districts also have low literacy: Gajapati 41.73% and
Kandhamala 52.95%. The state average is 63.1%. The tribal population
percentage of the KBK districts are as follows: Malkangiri 58.36%
(+19.96% SC), Rayagada 56.04% (+14.28% SC), Nabarangpur 55.27%
(+15.09% SC), Koraput 50.67% (+13.41% SC), Nuapada 35.95% (+13.09%
SC), Kalahandi 28.88% (+17.01% SC), Sonepur 22.11% (+9.5% SC),
Balangir 22.06% (+15.39% SC). Two adjacent districts also have high
tribal population. They are Kandhamala 51.51% (+18.21% SC) and
Gajapati 47.88% (+8.77% SC).

In recent years several special programs, both central and state,
have focused on the KBK districts. This includes the LTAP, RLTAP,
BRGP and Biju KBK programs. However none of them have a higher
education component and this has restricted the effectiveness of
these programs. Often teachers, doctors and other professionals
posted to the KBK districts treat it as a punishment and do not show
up. Thus KBK needs teachers and doctors who are born, raised and
educated in KBK and have a stake in KBK. Moreover, with the high
percentage of tribal population in the KBK districts and the UPA
government’s focus [6] on “providing for full equality of
opportunity, particularly in education and employment for scheduled
castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs and religious minorities” it is most
appropriate to bring the opportunities to the deprived rather than
the existing policy of forcing the tribals to go to far-flung
central universities to avail reserved seats there. It is high time
that KBK is led out of its misery by allowing KBK to produce
educated people who are born, raised and highly educated in KBK. In
this regard one must note that Blacks, Hispanics and Native
Americans in the United States have been most benefited by higher
educational opportunities that are available right where they live.
This includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),
Native American Colleges, and universities in Hispanic majority
towns and cities. Many Black leaders were early graduates of the
HBCUs.

The centrally funded institutions in the Northeast (some as
inaccessible and as tribal as parts of KBK) and in Delhi have done
wonders to the populace there. For example according to the NSSO [7]
figures the attendance among 15-19 year olds and among 20-24 year
olds in these states are as follows: Arunachal Pradesh (61,1%,
22.6%), Assam(53.2%, 12.8%), Manipur (79.8%, 44.3%), Meghalaya
(52.6%, 14.3%), Mizoram (68.7%, 20.8%), Nagaland (79.9%, 32.7%),
Sikkim (68.7%, 20.9%), Tripura (59.6%, 11.9%), and Delhi (70%,
19.3%). In contrast the same for Orissa is 29.0% and 6.1%, the
lowest among all the states of India. For the tribals in Orissa this
number is 17.1% and 4.1% respectively.

Thus the KBK region (KBK+ the equally backward adjacent districts of
Kandhamala and Gajapati) of Orissa desperately and immediately needs
a central university with campuses in locations such as Rayagada,
Koraput, Jeypore, Bhawanipatna, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Titlagarh,
Nuaparha, Balangir, Sonapur, Phulbani, Baligurha and Parlakhemundi.
This central university could be modeled after Delhi University
which has 81 colleges spread across Delhi. These campuses could be
tied to school related initiatives such as Ekalavya Vidyalayas. To
make sure that the central university benefits the tribals and the
KBK residents we suggest significant reservations for them, similar
to reservations for local populace or minority populace in some of
the existing central universities.

We have come across the plan for a Tribal University headquartered
in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh and we are happy for Madhya Pradesh.
We do not think the vast needs of KBK can be met by this university
and hence there is a need for a central university in KBK. Our more
detailed proposal about this is at [9].

(While we have your attention on KBK, it has been reported [8] that
files related to Orissa government’s request for at least one
Ekalavya Vidyalaya in each block of the tribal districts of Orissa
is pending at the central government. Please approve this request.
In regards to the accessibility of KBK, please budget enough money
in the 11th plan so as to complete the unfinished railway lines in
the KBK region and the Vijaywada-Ranchi highway that passes through
vast areas of KBK. Please note that it has been often observed,
including by the planning commission researchers [5] that “Railways
poorly connect the KBK districts and this issue needs serious
consideration by the ministry of railways.”)

In closing, we all – including most of us who are from outside of
KBK and South Orissa – feel that all around growth of Orissa and
India is extremely important. Only then India will become a great
nation, prosperous across all regions, rather than the current
mixture of deprived, neglected and backward areas together with many
prosperous enclaves. We are sure that you would agree with us and
hence in the 11th plan correct the inequity [10] that plagues the
Human Resource Development (the most important resource of a nation)
ministry’s funding of top institutions and pay special attention to
the most backward area of the country – Southern Orissa and the
ill-famed KBK districts of Orissa – by establishing one of the new
IITs in Southern Orissa, establishing a multi-campus central
university in the KBK region and improving the road and rail
accessibility of KBK.

Sincerely,

Name: Address: Phone Number:

[1] http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/459579.cms

[2] http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_1846376,00020009.htm

[3] http://www.baral.us/orissa/pdf/2005-nov9-newindpress.pdf

[4] http://www.empowerpoor.com/backgrounder.asp?report=3

[5] Report of Tour of the KBK Districts (19th-20th July 2005)
http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/stateplan/sp_kbktour.pdf

[6] http://pmindia.nic.in/cmp.pdf

[7] NSS Report No. 516: Employment and unemployment situation among
social groups in India. 2004-2005. Available from
http://mospi.nic.in/

[8] http://chitta.googlepages.com/ekalabya.pdf

[9] http://orissalinks.googlepages.com/kbk.doc

[10] http://www.equitableindia.org

[11] http://rc.orissa.gov.in/index3.asp?linkid=30&sublinkid=133

[12] News item on CM Naveen Patnaik discussing KBK Central
University with HRD Minister Mr. Arjun Singh.
http://www.baral.us/orissa/pdf/2005-oct24-statesman.pdf

Entry Filed under: Central University of Orissa, Koraput,IIT, oDishA