Odisha HRD

Rajasthan uses a balanced approach in choosing locations for its national institutions

Update on 27th April 2011: The Central University location has been changed to Bander Sindri near Ajmer and only 80 kms from Jaipur. The Innovation University (previsouly referred to as National University) aiming for world class is now pushed for Jaipur. [Times of India]

The panel set up by the CM of Rajsthan has picked the following places to recommend to the central government for the various national institutes and universities coming up in Rajasthan. (From a Times of India report and another Times of India report)

• IIT : Jodhpur
• IIM: Udaipur
• National University aiming for world-class: Ajmer 
• Central university: Bikaner.

The committee also recommended:

• a "futuristic" heritage conservation and museology centre in Jaipur
• an institute of Food Technology in Hadoti region of Kota

Currently the following national institutions exisit or are being made in the following places in Rajasthan:

• NIT: Jaipur
• LNMIT (private but top-notch): Jaipur
• National law School: Jodhpur
• AIIMS-like institution (being made): Jodhpur

The institutions are nicely distributed between various cities of Rajsthan, although people of Jaipur and Kota are not happy. The population of these locations are:

• Jaipur (World Gazetteer 2009): 3.1 million (has inetrnational air connectivity)
• Jodhpur (World Gazetteer 2009): 988K  – (332 kms from Jaipur; has air connectivity)
• Udaipur (World Gazetteer 2009): 457K – (400 kms from Jaipur; has air connectivity)
• Ajmer (World Gazetteer 2009):  604.7K – (131 kms from Jaipur)
• Bikaner (World Gazetteer 2009): 624.6K – (321 kms from Jaipur)
• Kota (World Gazetteer 2009): 823 K (242 kms from Jaipur)

In contrast in Orissa the distribution of national institutions are more Bhubaneswar centric. Following is the status:

• IIT: Bhubaneswar
• NISER: Bhubaneswar
• AIIMS-like (being made) : Bhubaneswar
• National Law University: Cuttack (part of Bhubaneswar metroplex)
• IIIT (state-funded) : Bhubaneswar
• National University aiming to be world class: Bhubaneswar
• Vedanta University (private): Puri
• NIT: Rourkela
• Central University: Koraput
• IIIT (centrally funded): state wants it in Berhampur; center has identified as Bhubaneswar

Unfortunately, one of the reason given behind the above selection is the lack of connectivity and the size of places. Following is some information on that.

• Bhubaneswar (World Gazetteer 2009): 1.67 million  (has airport but no inetrnational connectivity)
• Rourkela (World Gazetteer 2009): 551 K  (no air connections) – 334 kms from Bhubaneswar
• Berhampur (World Gazetteer 2009): 403 K (no air connections) – 160 kms from Bhubaneswar
• Koraput-Jeypore-Sunabeda: 200K+ (no air connections) – 499 kms from bhubaneswar
• Puri (World Gazetteer 2009): 185K – 60 kms from Bhubaneswar 
• Sambalpur (World Gazetteer 2009): 258 K (no air connections)  – 321 kms from Bhubaneswar
• Jharsuguda-Belpahar-Brajarajnagar: 200 K (no air connections) – 374 kms from Bhubaneswar; 50 kms from Sambalpur

For the future, following are some of the steps that Orissa government needs to urgently take regarding developing more larger urban areas and having the national institutions more evenly distributed:

• Make sure the centrally funded IIIT is established in Berhampur
• Establish functioing airports in Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Koraput at the earliest
• Push for international flights to Bhubaneswar
• Push for upgradation of UCE Burla (Sambalpur area) to an IIEST (Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology)
• Push for the establishment of a branch of IGNTU (Indira Gandhi National Tribal University) in Phulbani
• Push for the establishment of IIM outside of the Bhubaneswar area
• Push for the establishment of a centrally funded KBK Inst of Engineering and Technology (along the lines of SLIET and ABAGKIET) in Kalahandi or Balangir.
• Push for upgrading another medical college (Berhampur or Sambalpur) to AIIMS level.
• Push for establishing NID in a location outside of Bhubaneswar
• Push for establishing NIPER in a location outside of Bhubaneswar
• Push for a BITS Pilani campus in a location outside of Bhubaneswar

9 comments June 12th, 2009

Agriculture College to come up in Bhawanipatna

Following is an excerpt from a report in tathya.in.

… The Chief Minister decided to assuage the hurt feelings of the people of Kalahandi by announcing two professional colleges in the district.

Mr.Patnaik chairing the high level meeting here on 27 December announced to set up an engineering and a new agriculture college at Bhawanipatna.

…Sensing the popular demand for more educational facilities in the district, Mr.Patnaik declared that “there will be an agriculture and engineering college at Bhawanipatna”.

Funds will be located from Special Problem Fund (SPF) for both these institutions.

Both the colleges were provided Rs.5 crore each to take up preliminary works.

The engineering college will have 240 seats, where as the agriculture college will accommodate 48 students, revealed an official.

There are 63 engineering colleges, where as this will be the third agriculture college in the state, said he.

Two agriculture colleges exist at Bhubaneswar in Khurda district and Chiplima in Sambalpur district.

The College of Agriculture, Bhawanipatna will be under the Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT).

… Mr.Patnaik also asked Dr.Arabinda Padhee, Director Agriculture to take up the matter with VC OUAT for facilitating the students to enroll them in 2009-10.

Dr.Padhee gave out details on the planning process on establishing the new institution.

Tarun Kanti Mishra, Development Commissioner who attended the meeting will co-ordinate the land alienation and construction work in a faster manner.

13 comments December 28th, 2008

Orissa government plans a government engineering college in Kalahandi near Bhawanipatna

Following is from tathya.in.

Finally KBK region will have a Government sponsored engineering college.

And this will be established here in the district Headquarters of Kalahandi.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has given green signal to this effect.

The Industries department has moved the files so that the institution receives approval of AICTE.

The authorities are eying to enroll students in 2009-10 in four streams, once the AICTE approval is availed.

The Collector has been asked to locate 30 acres of land near Bhawanipatna.

At least 10 acres of land is required for an engineering college but keeping in future expansion, the State Government has asked the Collector Kalahandi to do the needful.

Chief Minister has asked the Finance department to provide Rs.4 crore from the Orissa Contingency Fund (OCF).

Recently the OCF has been allowed to enlarge its kitty to Rs.400 crore.

There are 63 engineering colleges in the state and 2 in KBK. 

Most of the engineering colleges are in Khurda district, which houses 34.

There are no government engineering colleges in KBK and keeping this in view the Chief Minister has approved the Kalahandi Engineering College in this part of KBK, said an official.

This engineering college will be constituent college of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT).

6 comments December 20th, 2008