Odisha HRD

Vedanta does the right thing: free schooling for kids of displaced families in DAV School

Following is from a report in the Pioneer.

Provision of admission to the Puri DAV School by Anil Agarwal Foundation’s Vedanta University project for the children of displaced families has drawn an enthusiastic response from the villagers. As per the arrangement, 500 children from the land losing and displaced families will be admitted to the school.

By May 10, as many as 618 applications were received from children of the target families for admission in the DAV School. The children will get free education and the Foundation will provide uniforms, transport facilities, books and also mid-day snacks.

Despite discouragement and threats from vested interests opposed to the university project, the villagers and their children are very enthusiastic about the whole arrangement as they are serious about good education and a better future. After selection and admission, the classes are scheduled to start from July 1, according to a company release.

Following are excerpts from a report in the Statesman.

As a part of its CSR mission to facilitate quality school education for the upcoming generation of the project affected families, Anil Agarwal Foundation has partnered with the DAV School, Puri.

During the entrance tests, children came accompanied by parents and fellow villagers who were very keen for the admission of their wards, claimed a release issued by the foundation while noting that this was despite threats from vested interests who are opposed to the University project.

The CSR activities of Vedanta group of industries run by Mr Anil Agarwal focuses on health, education, livelihood and peripheral development, noted the release.

The educational initiative, in partnership with the DAV School, is expected to allay the fear of the local community that the world class University will be of no benefit to them. The students inducted to the DAV School now, will , in future find their rightful place in the Vedanta University.

May 15th, 2008

Summer camps for kids in Bhubaneswar – Sambada

4 comments May 14th, 2008

IIIT Bhubaneswar next batch class to start in August 2008: entrance exam on June 22nd 2008

Following is from http://iiit-bh.in/website/admissions.htm.

Apply On Line for Admission 2008

Down Load Admission Bulletin 2008

Admission Process Dates

• Advertisement for Admission to M.Tech programme : 6th May 2008
• On Line application : Begins on 6th May
• Last date Receipt of DD : 16th June 2008
• Entrance Examination: 22nd June 2008
• Interview: To be announced
• Publication of Results: To be announced
• Academic Session Begins : To be announced

May 10th, 2008

Revised Tender for construction of housing complex for AIIMS like institute in Bhubaneswar

Update: Amendment to this tender.

Latest from http://www.mohfw.nic.in/tenders.html (see also http://mohfw.nic.in/tenders.htm):

Construction of Housing complex for AIIMS like institutions under PMSSY at RAIPUR (CHATTISHGARH) / BHUBANESHWAR (ORRISA) /PATNA, RISHIKESH

Some details about the tender:

• Release label: May 2008
• Tender number: HSCC//BU-/155 D&E/2008
• Estimated cost: 60 crores
• Completion period of work: 15 months
• Date of issue of tender document: 5/9/2008 – 6/9/08 up to 1:00 PM
• Bid security: 61 lakhs

Earlier links are at https://www.orissalinks.com/?p=970.

May 8th, 2008

Utkal University offers Masters in Finance and Control: ad in Samaja

1 comment May 5th, 2008

Research at IMMT (Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology) goes way beyond materials and minerals

Following is an ad from Samaja.
 

1 comment May 1st, 2008

Union Health minister’s statement on delay with respect to AIIMS-like institutes

Following is from the Lok Sabha proceedings on 4/29/08.

DR. ANBUMANI RAMADOSS: … Coming to the AIIMS-like institutions, my predecessor, Shrimati Sushma Swaraj, when she was the Minister, she had launched a scheme called Pradhan Mantri Swasth Suraksha Yojana, under which they wanted to build six new AIIMS-like institutions and upgrade seven existing institutions to a certain level. Then, after that, our Government took over. At that time, since elections were there, they could not proceed further and the UPA Government took over. It is not like that with the change in Government, the policy would change. Shri Tripathy was mentioning about the political interference and all that, which I would definitely counter that. It is a continuity. Government comes and Government goes but it is a continuity. Definitely, we are following the programme. I would like to commend my predecessor, Shrimati Sushma Swaraj for bringing out that very innovative concept. I have already thanked and commended her for this. Definitely, we are going through this. Again, I would like to say that there has been a delay. I acknowledge the delay; I regret for the same. I could explain the delay, etc. In fact, the Standing Committee on Health has gone in depth into this and they were also upset. I am more upset than the Standing Committee. There has been some delay due to non-response to the tenders, etc. Work has started in Rajasthan; work would be starting in one or two months in Bhubaneswar, in Bhopal, in Patna, etc. This is how the work is distributed and it would take little more time for me.

Even though the previous Government had plans of building six new and improving seven institutions, we are now improving nearly 13 institutions – from seven we are improving 13. Kerala was not in the list of the last Government. After the UPA Government came into power, we included Trivandrum Medical College in Kerala for upgradation and allocated Rs.120 crore. Throughout the country, we have just one slab of Rs.120 crore – Rs.20 crore from the local Government and Rs.100 crore from the Central Government. We try to do that. I would like to assure my friend, Shri Tripathy and others that definitely we are trying to work out the modalities. We had split between the housing and the hospital, etc. to quicken the pace of work. Again, I would like to categorically assure the House that we are definitely into the projects, Sir.

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Mr. Minister, are we to take it as an assurance from you that in Bhubaneswar, the work will start within the next two months?

DR. ANBUMANI RAMADOSS: Within the next three months, it will start in Bhubaneswar.

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Okay, three months’ time is all right.

DR. ANBUMANI RAMADOSS: In three months’ time, the work will start in Bhubaneshwar.

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Thank you.

Viswas and others: Please note that besides the six new AIIMS-like institutes the government is taking up the upgradation of 13 exisiting medical colleges  to AIIMS standard. Note that some states (UP, J & K and Andhra Pradesh) will have two of their institutes upgraded. Orissa should try to have one of its other medical colleges outside the Bhubaneswar area to be upgraded to that level. The medical colleges in Berhampur and Burla could be possible candidates.

Update: Some more ones are also in the planning stage.

In Summary:

• Existing AIIMS in Delhi
• 6 New ones in pipeline at Rs 332 crores each (paid by GOI) : Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Patna, Rishikesh, Jodhpur, Raipur
• 13 upgradations at Rs 120 crores each (100 crore paid by GOI, rest 20 crore by the corresponding state)
  • Govt. Medical College, Jammu (J&K)
  • Govt. Medical College, Srinagar (J&K)
  • Kolkatta Medical College, Kolkatta (W.B.)
  • Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow (U.P)
  • Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, Varanasi (UP)
  • Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad(A.P)
  • Sri Venkateshwara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati (A.P) (50% cost of upgradation will be borne by the TTD Trust)
  • Govt. Medical College, Salem (T.N.)
  • Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), Ranchi (Jharkhand)
  • B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
  • Bangalore Medical College, Bangalore(Karnataka)
  • Grant Medical College & Sir J.J. Group Of Hospitals, Mumbai, (Maharashta)
  • Medical College, Thrivananthapuram, (Kerala)
• Planning stages
  • Two new ones in UP and West Bengal
  • Upgradation of five existing hospitals in Nagpur, Himachal Pradesh, Amritsar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

1 comment May 1st, 2008

Evening Standard on Anil Agarwal and Vedanta University

Following is an excerpt from it.

Look at Agarwal. According to the list, the founder and chairman of Vedanta Resources owns shares worth £2.93bn. That valuation, says Beresford, was calculated last month. Since then, his stake in Vedanta has risen to £3.6bn. In a few weeks, on paper, he has made more than £500m.

… Agarwal is also committing £500m of his own money to build a new university – not in Britain, but in Orissa, also in India. Called Vedanta University it will cater for 100,000 students – undergraduates and graduates – plus 40,000 faculty and staff members. The intention is it will rival Stanford (it’s modelled on the Californian university) and will go some way towards slowing the brain drain from India to America.

‘What is money for, if not to be made and given back to society?’ says Agarwal.

May 1st, 2008

Six crores for renovation of the Sanskrit University: Pioneer

Following is an excerpt from a report in the Pioneer.

The university will receive Rs 3 crore for its infrastructure development, while the UGC will also provide Rs 47 lakh for the year.

Besides, the university will have block grant of Rs 2.26 crore and an additional research grant of Rs 10 lakh from the State Government. The Syndicate has approved an annual budget of about Rs 6.94 crore. A 100-bed, two-storied hostel will come up on the campus soon to address the constriction.

The university has further resolved to institute scholarships to the tune of Rs 1 lakh this year to attract poor and meritorious students to pursue their studies. Research on the Jagannath culture being a major objective of the university, a sum of Rs 10 lakh received from the State Government will be utilised in it this year. Earlier, funds for research on the Jagannath culture were provided by the Puri temple trust.

April 28th, 2008

Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust will set up a medical college and super specialty hospital near Naraj

Following is an excerpt from a news report in Pioneer.

Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust will set up a medical college and super specialty hospital near Naraj. Earlier, it was announced to set up a private university at Naraj. It has also planned to set up health centre in all the districts of the State.

In this connection, Trust member Yezdi Batliwala called on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday at the State Secretariat.

The State Government has allotted 185.97 acres of land for this purpose. The proposed university would have a core campus comprising academic and non-academic buildings to cater to the needs of 15,000 students, 1,500 faculty and matching number of non-teaching staff.

Basic science, humanities, engineering, medicine, pharmacy, business management, law, bio-science, art, culture and Vedic studies, Ayurveda, aviation and maritime training will be on course list. The campus will house a sports complex, recreational facilities, utility centres and meditation halls.

Following is from Samaja.

April 27th, 2008

Vedanta University will work towards giving 25 percent seats to the students from Orissa who will be taken on merit basis: Anil Agarwal to IANS

Following is an excerpt from an IANS report in thaiindian.com. (Also reported in indiaprwire.com.)

The Anil Agarwal Foundation, promoted by Agarwal, is setting up a multi-disciplinary world-class Vedanta University near the Konark-Puri marine drive with an investment of Rs.150 billion ($3.75 billion) in phases.

Vedanta Alumina, part of the Vedanta Resources (Sterlite) Group, is building an alumina refinery with an investment of $800 million in the state’s Kalahandi region.

It is also building an aluminium smelter project costing Rs.70 billion in Jharsuguda district.

“Our refinery project in Lanjigarh is one of the best projects in the world. We hope bauxite will be available for it,” Agarwal said.

He was hopeful of getting raw material and adequate water for the Lanjigarh project. “There is enough water in the Hirakud reservoir for industries and we will not touch a drop of water meant for farmers,” he said.

Regarding rehabilitation of the affected people, he said: “We will follow R&R (resettlement and rehabilitation) policy of the Orissa government for all our projects.” He described Orissa’s R&R policy as the best in the country.

Speaking of the progress of Vedanta University, Agarwal said in the first phase, the foundation stone for a medical college and a 600-bed hospital will be laid soon in the university campus.

“We will work towards giving 25 percent seats to the students from Orissa who will be taken on merit basis,” he remarked.

Following is an excerpt from a report in New Indian Express.

VEDANTA Resources,which has proposed a university at Puri, intends to establish a multi-disciplinary hospital of international standard in the first phase.

Work for the hospital will start during the first quarter of next year. The project is targeted to be complete by 2010.

"Health is a priority area so far as CSR is concerned," Chairman,Vedanta Resources Anil Agarwal said during a tete-e-tete with Editors of the newspapers here today.

Agarwal who met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik earlier in the day reiterated his company’s demand for ensuring 150 million tonne of bauxite for its alumina plant at Lanjigarh. Seventy million tonne out of the total, Agarwal suggested, was to come from Niyamgiri area as assured at the time of MoU and the rest to be made available from Sasubahumali in Koraput.

The other contentious issue for Vedanta is water for its power and smelter plant at Jharsuguda. Given the agitation by farmers over use of water from Hirakud for industrial purpose, Agarwal suggested that his company is prepared to pump in Rs 30 crore as an interim measure to source water from downstream of the reservoir to avoid any conflict with farmer’s interests.

He informed that the smelter plant at Jharsuguda is all set for commercial production and would go in phases. In the first phase, the company will go for 0.5 million tonne of smelter.

Vedanta Resources has already signed 100 MoUs with different companies for ancilliarisation at Jharsguda.

Asked,why Puri was selected as the site for the university,Agarwal said, his consultants had suggested seven proposals in different states but he selected Puri for its water frontage.

Stating that the university project is estimated at Rs 15000 crore, he informed that the Anil Agarwal Foundation will fund Rs 5000 crore to begin with.

Earlier, talking to mediapersons Agarwal parried a question on AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi opposing bauxite mining lease to refinery project.

He also informed that 25 percent of the students for the university will be given preference from the State of Orissa.

Following is from Samaja.

1 comment April 27th, 2008

ICAR Foot and mouth disease (FMD) lab to be established in Jatni near Bhubaneswar

Following is an excerpt from a report in New Indian Express. (See https://www.orissalinks.com/?p=1103 for other ICAR labs/institutes in Orissa and India.)

The International and National centre on FMD would be set up by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at Jatni about 25 kms from here. The State Government has already identified 116.325 acre of land for the Rs 400 crore Central Government sponsored project.

The state-of-the art facility with Bio Safety level (3+) standardisation will work for control and containment of virulent, pathogenic and mutagenic FMD virus. The disease in endemic to India and manifests itself across regions round the year.

The lab would receive samples from the country as well as abroad for identification, characterisation of the biological pathogens that caused the disease. It will also act as a repository for various serotypes.

Telegraph also reports on this.

2 comments April 26th, 2008

ICAR institutes, project directorates and national research centers

Following is from http://www.icar.org.in/icar7.htm.

Institutes/ Bureaues

National Bureaus

Following is from http://www.icar.org.in/icar7b.htm.

Project Directorates

Following is from http://www.icar.org.in/icar7a.htm.

ICAR National Research Centres (NRC)

8 comments April 26th, 2008

Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) to come up in Bhubaneswar?

Following is from a news report in Pioneer.

A unit of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) will be set up at Bhubaneswar. A decision to this effect was taken at a joint high-level meeting between the CM Naveen Patnaik and Chairman of the Foundation Srinath Reddy at the State Secretariat on Thursday. Government will provide all the basic infrastructures for institution.

PHFI aims to influence public health education, research, and policy. The goal is to establish at least five world-class Indian Institutes of Public Health. These Institutes will initially train 1,000-plus professionals a year, with the goal of producing as many as 10,000 graduates. The Association of Schools of Public Health of the U.S. will offer educational and technical assistance.

The Foundation will bolster existing schools of public health by creating a pool of permanent faculty and establishing an accreditation agency that will standardise public health education. India currently graduates some 375 students each year from its schools of public health and institutions-compared to the 10,000 needed annually.

With the setting up this unit, Orissa will become a leader in the entire eastern region.

From the above news item it is not clear what is meant by a unit of PHFI. Is it an IIPH or something else?

Update: Following is Samaja’s report on it.

Update: Following is Sambada’s report on it.

5 comments April 25th, 2008

Vedanta University plans to give a large order of IP telephony to Cisco

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Cisco India, the global networking giant, is restructuring its sales organisational structure with dedicated regional focus, in an attempt to expand its reach to customers in tier-2 and tier3 cities in the country.

… Cisco is also bullish on eastern India on the back of several new projects commissioned for east over the next few years, in manufacturing, power, SEZs, airports, and others.

“We are about to execute a large order from Vedanta University for IP telephony and voice. We have also got an order from Tata Steel for high-end conferencing solutions,” informed Malik.

April 24th, 2008

DAE Institutes

Following is from http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/dae.html. (See also http://www.dae.gov.in/aidedlnks.htm.)

1. Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC)

2. Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology (RRCAT)

3. Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR)

4. Variable energy Cyclotorn Center (VECC)

5. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

6. Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkota

7. Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai

8. Institute of Physics, Bhubaneshwar, ORISSA
   

9. Harish Chandra Research Institute (Formerly known as Mehta Research Institute of Physics and Mathematical Physics), Allahabad

10. Institute of Mathematics, Chennai

11. Institute for Plasma Research, Ahmedabad

12. Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research

     

1 comment April 23rd, 2008