Odisha HRD

IIT Bhubanesar main campus construction: status update

Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.

… Bottlenecks continue to hamper the progress of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar (IITBBS).

The IIT authorities in a meeting with Khurda collector Roopa Mishra earlier this week (on November 8 ) raised concern over several issues stalling the work. Mishra, when contacted, said "There are certain issues, which the government has been resolving. It is a continuous process. All matters are being addressed. We hope all problems will be solved."

… the institute is far from its December 2013 deadline to complete first phase work to create facility for 2,500 students, 250 faculty members and 275 support staff.

The institute is yet to get approval from Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) for its building. Sources said the IIT had applied for the approval over one month ago. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is in the process of floating tenders for construction of hostels. "The tender would be advertised by this month- end," said a CPWD official.

The master plan of the campus has been designed to accommodate 10,000 students, 1,000 faculty, 1,100 non-teaching employees besides 1,000 out sourced support staff. Odisha had allotted 936 acres of land for IIT for the purpose. The Union government has approved construction of 221,000 sq m of covered area (63,000 sq m for academic complex and 158,000 sq m for residential complex) in the first phase for which an outlay of Rs 388 crores has already been provided.

 

November 14th, 2011

Utkal University of Culture advertises for faculty positions (Deadline: Nov 30th, 2011)

November 1st, 2011

NISER Bhubaneswar resumes hiring faculty in all disciplines but in specific thrust areas (Deadline 30th November 2011)

Following is from their ad at http://www.niser.ac.in/notices/2011/FACULTY%20RECRUITMENT-Oct-2011.pdf.

NISER invites application for faculty positions in specific areas of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics at the level of Assistant Professor. Candidates who possess requisite qualification (Ph.D and at least 2-3 years of postdoctoral experience in the relevant area) are requested to send their detailed CV on or before 30th November 2011 to director@niser.ac.in.

Age: 35 years or less as on 30th November 2011

Physics

1. Experimental High Energy Physics (Higgs and SUSY Search beyond standard model of LHC).
2. Theoretical condensed matter physics (Many body theory, strongly correlated systems, Topological Insulators related areas).
3. Cosmology (Early Universe, Inflation, CMB related topics, Gravity waves).
* Persons with outstanding track records may be considered for Reader-F level provided they are below 40 years of age on 30th November 2011.

Chemistry

1. Spectroscopy with hands on experience with building of equipments for electronic absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy.

Biology

1. Ecology and Structural Biology

Mathematics

1. All areas of Mathematics

DIRECTOR

October 28th, 2011

Graduate courses offered at various new IITs; Hyderabad leads again

1 comment October 27th, 2011

Hyderabad and Rajasthan lead among the new IITs in terms of number of undergraduate courses offered; logos of the various IITs

Following is from the 2012 IIT JEE brochure.

As evident from the above Hyderabad and Rajasthan lead in the number of undergraduate courses offered. The main reason the other new IITs offer only 3 courses is because of the lack of facilities in the temporary premises they are operating in. All of them will ramp up their offerings when they move to their permanent campuses. However, the number of faculty sanctioned to an IIT is somewhat proportional to the number of students they have. So by virtue of having more students, IIT Hyderabad and Rajasthan will have more number of faculty sanctioned for them and thus they will have a leg up in hiring faculty.

Following are the logos of the various IITs as obtained from the front page of the IIT JEE 2012 brochure.

October 27th, 2011

Update on the Xavier University proposal: To be located in Pipili and called Xavier University of Odisha

2 comments October 21st, 2011

Quotes from various stakeholders on the attractions and advantages of setting up higher education institutions in Bhubaneswar and Odisha: From a pagalguy.com article

The following quotes are from an article in pagalguy.com.

… a push from the state government, cheap land prices, a pool of students from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and the North East as well as investments by large corporate houses are slowly changing the eastern state’s identity. After Hyderabad, it is Odisha which is steadily becoming the focal point for educational institutes to set up their campuses.

… Ratnakar Rout, Joint Secretary, Department of Technical Education, Odisha. “We want to make Bhubaneshwar an educational hub,” he said. “The government wants institutes of international repute to start up so that students from the entire eastern belt can come here for education.” Rout added that many industrial houses, investors and institutes (including foreign universities) are also interested to start operating from Odisha. …

… Dr Somayajulu Garimella, director of IMI Bhubaneshwar, says that it is primarily the Odisha government’s proactive stance towards investment in the state that is paving the way for this migration. “The government is acting like a catalyst and there is fantastic support from them in terms of clearances,” said Garimella.

… According to Dr Harivansh Chaturvedi, director BIMTECH, the saturation of b-schools in other states, low living costs and burgeoning middle class population of urban Odisha are some other reasons for b-schools to choose to come to the state.

The Odisha government has been cooperative in terms of allotting land at cheaper prices, say educational administrators. “The government is friendly and we were alloted 30 acres of land at the cost of Rs 8 lakhs per acre,” said Chaturvedi. This was in stark contrast to the price of land in neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where, according to Chaturvedi, land prices can go upto Rs 2 crores for an acre. “We should not invest too much on physical infrastructure like land, as it is expensive,” added Chaturvedi.

… Harivansh Chaturvedi has answers for some of these doubts. “Our target is not just the local students, but the aim is to tap the pan-India market,” he said. “Also, in terms of competition we are looking at the future and within five years there is a possibility that the government might allow foreign universities to set foot in this part of the country.” BIMTECH and IMI are also not very worried about the initial years in terms of placements as their Delhi campuses will mentor the ones in Bhubaneshwar until they can stand on their own feet.

… Sri Sri University, which does not enjoy the reputation that IMI or BIMTECH have as far as business education is concerned, has other ways of getting their graduates jobs. “The ‘Art of Living’ community boasts of one of the largest corporate following,” informed Malaya Malla, marketing manager of the university. “The university has received strong commitments from corporates for offering summer projects and final placements.”

3 comments October 3rd, 2011

Update on National Law University of Odisha: will join CLAT; many unique features

Following is from a report in indiaeducationdiary.com.

National Law University, Orissa (NLUO) has finally decided to join Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) of 2012.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the University Executive Council chaired by Prof. (Dr.) Faizan Mustafa, Vice-Chancellor, NLUO. …

NLUO, which came into being in 2009, was conducting its own admission test till date. For the last three consecutive years, the NLUO admission test was receiving highest compliments from renowned evaluators of law tests from all over the country. …

However, the Executive Council has taken a stand to become a part of the mainstream law entrance test because the students shall now give higher preference to NLUO due to good reputation carved by it in the last three years.

What sets NLUO apart from other law schools is its integration of knowledge by the adoption of an interdisciplinary approach: a student from a Social Science stream can opt for a Management course and vice- versa. The introduction of courses like Mining Law, Food Law, Water Law, Energy Law, Agricultural Law and Legal Journalism also adds to the uniqueness of the university. In addition, NLUO has also launched a unique conjoint Ph.D-LLM program that will include intensive teachers’ training program, Educational Psychology, learning tools and stipends. Unlike other Ph.D courses offered nationwide, this research program by NLUO provides LLM degree as a by product. …

September 29th, 2011

After Chandigarh, Gwalior, Mumbai and Mysore the fifth Zonal Institute of Education and Training (ZIET) to come up in Bhubaneswar

Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.

… Kendriya Vidyalay Sangathan (KVS) has decided to set up a Zonal Institute of Education and Training (ZIET) in Bhubaneswar. This will be the fifth such institute in the country and will cater to over 350 schools of eastern region as a resource centre for states like Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and the northeast states.

"Earlier we had to depend on other ZIETs for the purpose of conducting in-service training, refresher courses, workshop and induction courses and research activities. The ZIET in Bhubaneswar will cater to the need of not only teaching but also non-teaching staff of schools. Besides, it will also help in preparation of model lessons and study material, to plan and propose the new areas and strategies required to be incorporated during the training programme to improve the quality of education," said principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya-1, S K Behura.

The ZIET will temporarily function from KV-I till its own building will be constructed in its permanent KVS building at Bankuala, on the outskirts of the city, Behura said.

ZIET, an autonomous body under the ministry of HRD, would also ensure that the participants are provided training in the areas of subject expertise, communication skills, classroom transaction skills, evaluation skills and student-development skills. It also aims at promoting a positive work culture and attitude among teachers through training and develop a healthy attitude in teachers towards research in school education. …

"Initially ZIET will provide training to KVS staff but later will also help in capacity building of employees of all CBSE schools in the region," Behura added.

The web sites of the existing ZIET are as follows:

• Chandigarh: www.zietchandigarh.org. (From 2009)
  
• Gwalior: www.zietgwalior.org. (From 2002)
  
• Mumbai: www.zietmumbai.in. (From 2003)
  
• Mysore: www.zietmysore.org. (From 2004)
  

September 28th, 2011

List of faculty at IIIT Bhubaneswar and their qualification

Further updated on April 4, 2012.

Further updated on February 4, 2012. These updates are in pink.

Further updated on December 7, 2011. These updates are in red.

The following was compiled from http://www.iiit-bh.ac.in/faculty/faculty-list and http://www.iiit-bh.ac.in/downloads/AdmissionBrochure2011.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1 on September 23rd, 2011. (For an older list compiled in March 2011 see https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/6149.)

Computer Science:

1. Dr. Gopal Krishna Nayak, B. Tech (IIT Kharagpur), PGDM (IIM Bangalore), Ph.D. (IIT Kharagpur), Professor & Director
2. Mr. Ajit Kumar Das, B. Tech (IIT Kharagpur), M. Tech (UU), Ph.D. Continuing (UU), Professor & Dean
3. Dr. Rakesh Chandra Balabantaray, M. Tech (UU), Ph. D. (UU), Assistant Professor
4. Dr. Anjali Mohapatra, M. Tech. (UU), Ph. D. (UU), Assistant Professor
5. Ms Puspanjali Mohapatra, M. Tech.(UU), MBA, Assistant Professor
6. Dr. Debasish Jena, BE, M.Tech.(UU),Ph.D.(NIT, Rourkela), Assistant Professor
7. Dr. Alok Chakrabarty , Ph.D. (Assam Univerisity), Assistant Professor 
8. Dr. Hemanta Kumar Pati , Ph.D. (IIT Kharagpur), Assistant Professor
9. Mr. Suvendu Rup ,B.E(UU) , M.Tech.(Jadavpur University), Ph.D. continuing (NIT Rourkela), Assistant Professor
10. Dr. Sudarsan Padhy, Ph.D,  Professor (Retired from Utkal University)
11. Ms. Bharati Mishra, M.Tech, Assistant Professor  (NEW)
12. Mr. Sabyasachi Patra, M.Tech, Assistant Professor (NEW)
13. Mr. Tushar Ranjan Sahoo, M.Tech (IIT Kharagpur), Assistant Professor (NEW)
14. Mr. Muktikanta Sahu, M. Tech. (BPUT), Lecturer

• Dr. Shakti Ranjan Mohapatra, Ph.D, Visiting Faculty, from CITE Bhubaneswar
• Dr. Ajit Nayak, Ph.D, Visiting Faculty, from ITER, SOA University Bhubaneswar

Electrical Engineering:

1. Ms. Usharani Rout, M. Tech.(BIT, Mesra), Assistant Professor
2. Mr. Tapas Kumar Panigrahi , M. Tech.(Bengal Engineering College), Assistant Professor
3. Ms. Umamani Subudhi , M.Tech.(UCE, Burla), Assistant Professor
4. Mr. Debani Mishra, M.Tech (IIT Delhi), Assistant Professor (NEW)
5. Mr. Kshirod K Rout, M.Tech, Assistant Professor (NEW)
6. Mr. Saroj Mishra, M.tech (IITKharagpur), Assistant Professor (NEW)
7. Mr. Prakash Kumar Ray, M.Tech (UCE Burla), Ph.D (cont. at MNNIT), Assistant Professor.

Electronics:

1. Mr. Harish Kumar Sahoo ,M.Tech.(NIT,Rourkela),Ph.D. continuing (Sambalpur University), Assistant Professor
2. Mr. Ashutosh Kar, M.Tech (NIT Hamirpur), Assistant Professor (NEW)
3. Mr. Rajat K Giri, M.Tech, Assistant Professor (NEW)
4. Mr. Subrat Mohanty, M.Tech (BESU), Assistant Professor (NEW)
5. Dr. M. Ravi Kumar, M.Tech (CUSAT), Ph.D (IIT Kharagpur), Assistant Professor (NEW)
6. Mr. Pradyut K Biswal, M.Tech, Assistant Professor (NEW)
7. Mr. Bijayanada Patnaik. M.Tech. Continuing Ph.D. (IIT BBS) Assistant Professor.
8. Mr. Ratnakar Dash , M. Tech.(UCE, Burla), Ph.D.continuing (NIT, Rourkela), Lecturer
9. Mr. Soumendranath Dutta, M.Tech, Ph.D (cont)., Assistant Professor.

• Mr. Tapas Patra, Visiting Faculty, From CET Bhubaneswar

Mechanical Engineering:

1. Mr. Bamadev Sahoo, M. Tech. (IIT Kharagpur), Assistant Professor
2. Mr. Biranchi Narayan Padhi , M. Tech.(UCE, Burla), Ph.D. continuing (NIT Rourkela), Assistant Professor

• Dr. L. N. Panda, Ph.D, Visiting Faculty, From CET Bhubaneswar
• Dr. P. K. Satapathy, Ph.D, Visiting Faculty, From CET Bhubaneswar

Physics:

1. Dr. Monalisa Ray, M.Phil., Ph.D.(UU), Assistant Professor
2. Dr. Biswajit Pradhan, Ph.D.(IIT Bombay), Assistant Professor

• Mr. R. K. Parida, Visiting Faculty, From ITER,  SOA University

Chemistry:

1. Dr. Satyanarayan Pal, Ph.D.(CU, Hyderabad), Assistant Professor
2. Dr. Hiranmayee Satapathy, Ph.D.(IIT Kharagpur), Assistant Professor

Mathematics:

1. Dr. Rupaj Kumar Nayak, Ph.D.(UU), Assistant Professor
2. Dr. Prasanta K Ray, Ph.D. (NIT Rourkela), Assistant Professor (NEW)
3. Dr. Sanjay Parhi, Ph.D. (IIT Kharagpur), Assistant Professor (NEW)
4. Dr. Shanta Kumar Sunanda, Ph.D. (IIT Kharagpur), Assistant Professor.
5. Dr. Manas Ranjan Tripathy , Ph.D .(IIT Kharagpur), Lecturer

Humanities:

1. Ms. Lipika Das, Lecturer, M. A., M.Phil., Ph.D.continuing (UU) – Communicative English, Assistant Professor
2. Dr. Tanutrushna Panigrahi, Ph. D. (Berhampur University) – Communicative English, Assistant Professor
3. Jolly Dey; Humanities, Assistant Professor

• Mr. Bhawani Shankar Mishra, Humanities, Visiting faculty.

3 comments September 25th, 2011

Utkal University ranks at 21 in the 2011 India Today University rankings

This ranking seems to be mainly based on perception and seems to me that the comparative assessment for Utkal University is a fair one and matches with my perception of the success achieved by Utkal University graduates.

1 comment September 21st, 2011

Dr. Subrat K. Acharya, HOD and professor of Gastroenterology at AIIMS New Delhi has been offered the Directorship of the AIIMS-like institute in Bhubaneswar

Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.

Four top doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have been chosen as directors for the four upcoming AIIMS prototypes. The Union health ministry has sent a letter to professor of neurology Dr Kameshwar Prasad, professors of medicine Dr S K Sharma and Dr Rita Sood and professor of gastroenterology Dr S K Acharya offering them the coveted posts.

While Dr Prasad has been asked to take over the institute in Raipur, Dr Sharma has been offered the Jodhpur branch, Dr Sood the Rishikesh branch and Dr Acharya the Bhubaneswar branch. All of them have been asked to join on November 1.

… Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha recently that the medical colleges of these six institutions will be functional by next year. Ministry officials said the colleges would be functional from July, 2012, while the hospitals would be in place by early 2013.

"For the first year of medical education, students don’t require hospital visits. That’s why the colleges will start from next year," an official said.

Each of the six medical colleges – a Rs 10,000-crore project – will have 100 MBBS seats. Each of the hospitals will have 960 beds, including 500 beds for the medical college hospital, 300 beds for speciality/super speciality and 100 beds for ICU/accident trauma.

The Union health ministry has also put three of the best known existing medical institutes – AIIMS, Delhi; JIPMER, Puducherry; and PHI, Chandigarh, in charge of helping the six new institutes stand on their feet. AIIMS, Delhi, has been mentoring the two new institutions in Patna and Bhubaneswar, PGI has been mentoring those coming up in Rishikesh and Jodhpur, while JIPMER has been overseeing the prototypes in Bhopal and Raipur.

"The existing institutes will help the new ones select their faculty, establish their laboratory network, conduct entrance exams and plan their curriculum," an official added.

The web page of the AIIMS New Delhi Department of Gastroenterology is at http://www.aiims.edu/aiims/departments/Gastro/gastrofaculty.htm and lists Prof. Subrat K Acharya as its HOD.

A doctor friend tells me that Prof. Subrat K Acharya did his MBBS from SCB Medical College, Cuttack.

Update: Prof. Acharya did his MBBS from MKCG Medical college; but he was a faculty at SCB medical college before he went to AIIMS New Delhi.

8 comments September 20th, 2011

IIT council decides to charge 2 lakhs/year for students who do not go onto academics via M.Tech/Ph.D

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

The IIT Council today decided that subsidy on tuition fees for BTech courses should be given only to those students who pursue research and take up teaching jobs.

The council, chaired by human resource development minister Kapil Sibal, considered the report of the Anil Kakodkar committee which had suggested that operational costs for running the four-year courses should be covered by raising fees.

Students now pay Rs 50,000 as annual tuition fee. The operational cost per student comes to about Rs 2 lakh a year.

The council today decided that from 2013, students would have to pay the balance Rs 6 lakh if they take up a non-teaching job after graduation.

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, who do not have to pay any fees now, and students from poor families, who are on scholarship or have been granted interest subsidy loans, will, however, be exempt.

Students who study for MTech and PhD and take up teaching after that would not have to pay the Rs 6 lakh.

September 15th, 2011

The innovative Vice Chancellor Scholar scheme at Ravenshaw University will have impact

Following is an excerpt from Shilpi Sampad’s report in Telegraph.

The prestigious Cuttack university has come up with a novel concept where postgraduate toppers are being given an opportunity to take classes at the undergraduate level in their respective fields for one year. Fourteen toppers have been appointed as “vice-chancellor’s scholars” to be part of their respective departments not only to teach but also to assist in research work, maintain archives and other work. They would be paid a consolidated monthly remuneration of Rs 8,000 from the university funds, said varsity officials.

“The toppers will be involved in departmental functioning and attached to the V-C’s office for executive assistance,” said Chandi Prasad Nanda, head of the history department at Ravenshaw University.

Stating that the programme was the brainchild of vice-chancellor Devdas Chhotray, Nanda said the objective was to guide meritorious students and encourage them to take up teaching as a profession.

“The idea behind this novel initiative is to motivate young scholars to engage themselves in teaching and research work. Here, they would work as interns and can, simultaneously, pursue M.Phil programmes. Through this exposure, they can be sensitised to research trends and pick up teaching skills. It would also prepare them for competitive exams,” said Dipti Ranjan Sahu, head of the sociology department.

The toppers, who have been taking classes since the beginning of this month, seemed happy and excited about being given this opportunity.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I can now understand how difficult a teacher’s job is. We take one to two classes a day and look after other activities of the department. Although it is slightly hectic, I am enjoying every bit of being a teacher,” said Kaikashna Begum, a V-C scholar and gold medallist of the political science department.

This is a wonderful scheme and would encourage many of the toppers to pursue academics, which will help help alleviate the faculty shortage in India.

September 14th, 2011

DAV Chandrasekharpur ranked number 28 in India by Educationworldonline.net; DAV Chandraskharpur(2), DAV Bhubaneswar(9), DPS Kalinga(17) and KIIT international(20) ranked in the eastern zone

Following are excerpts from http://educationworldonline.net/index.php/page-article-choice-more-id-2862.

Among other primary-secondaries which have improved their public image and zoomed into the list of India’s Top 30 day schools are the formerly unranked Mirambika, Delhi (27), DAV, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar (28) and Bombay International (29).

… Thus further investigation of the national league table reveals that Gitanjali School, Hyderabad (estb.1985) is the No. 1 day school in Hyderabad and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh (pop.85 million), no mean achievement. Likewise the Riverside School, ranked a modest No. 13 nationally is the No. 1 day school of Ahmedabad and the western seaboard state of Gujarat (pop. 60 million); DAV, Chandrasekharpur is the No. 1 day school of Orissa (pop. 42 million); St. John’s High is No.1 in Punjab, and City Montessori, Gomti Nagar, ranked No.50 nationally is Lucknow’s most respected day school and fifth in Uttar Pradesh — India’s most populous state (200 million).

The following article from Sambada mentions couple of other schools from Odisha that are ranked high in the eastern zone. The eastern zone ranked schools are: DAV Chandrasekharpur (2), DAV Bhubaneswar (9), DPS Kalinga (17) and KIIT international school (20).

3 comments September 13th, 2011

XIM Bhubaneswar plans courses in MPH; 19 foreign students paying 39,750 Euros to study in a 3C (3 continent) MGM (Master in Global Management) program; 1/3rd of that course will be at XIMB

Following is  an excerpt from Shilpi Sampad’s report in Telegraph.

Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), is planning to introduce a master’s programme in public health with a specialisation in mental health from next year.

The course will be conducted in association with the Union ministry of health and family welfare, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Tiss) in Mumbai and the London School of Medicine.

… we hope that things will be finalised soon,” said Father P.T. Joseph, director of XIMB.

He added it would be a residential programme and around 25 to 30 students would be enrolled in the first batch. Tiss, Mumbai will confer the degrees. Speaking about the importance of the course, Joseph said: “Public health and mental health are areas of great concern worldwide.

… Earlier, XIMB had entered into a partnership with two foreign B-schools — Antwerp Management School in Antwerp and Fordham Graduate School of Business in New York — to launch a “3-Continent Master of Global Management” (3C MGM) programme. The duration of the course is 12 months and it is scheduled to begin on September 1.

For this, 20 candidates each have been chosen from the continents of Asia (India and China), Europe and America. The students will spend four months at Antwerp B-school, XIMB and Fordham.

Of the 40 applicants who had applied for the course, which will cost around 39,750 Euros or Rs 30 lakhs, only one has been selected to be part of the group from India.

“The applicants found it difficult to secure bank loans since XIMB is neither a university nor recognised under the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). We are trying our best to attain the status of a university so that these problems do not recur,” said Joseph, who is also one of the deans for the 3C MGM programme.

6 comments August 30th, 2011