Earlier reports had indicated that the site will be near Banki. But it seems that it is still not fully decided. I guess until the central government gives its seal of approval it won’t be decided. Most likely the central government will approve the site IIT Kharagpur (mentor institution) approves. But which is that site? The following Sambada and Samaja reports display this confusion.
June 22nd, 2008
Various news reports mention that Andhra Pradesh will be having 6 six new universities so that each of its districts have a university. They have budgeted 16 crores for that.
Orissa should follow this lead and have one university in each of its undivided districts. The undivided 13 districts of Orissa were: Puri, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Baleswar, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Phulbani, Dhenkanal, Kendujhar, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj. Among those the six districts Bolangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Phulbani, Dhenkanal and Kendujhar do not have a university. The Orissa government should take advantage of the central government’s offer and set up a university in each of these districts.
June 22nd, 2008
On June 10th the Statesman reported the following:
The cabinet also decided to provide 27 acre of land in Bargarh district free of premium to the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology.
June 22nd, 2008
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan is a deemed university fully centrally funded. It has ten campuses; one of them being in Puri. Following is the information about the Puri Campus.
- Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (Deemed University), Shri Sadashiva Campus, Puri (Orissa)
This campus was established on 15.08.1971 and is situated under the feet of Lord Jagannath at Puri in Orissa, which is one of four main Dhams. The institution is more than 100 years old. This Campus has its own building. The Campus is pursuing research work leading to the degree of Vidyavaridhi (Ph.D) and imparting education in Sahitya, Dharma Shastra, Navya Vyakarana, Puranetihas, Jyotish, Advaita Vedanta, Navya Nyaya, Sarvadarshana and Sankhya Yoga at postgraduate and graduate level and Shiksha Shastri at graduate level. There is computer education facility in the Campus.
The Puri campus is different from the Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University in Puri. Some more information on the Puri campus taken from http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/puri.htm is as follows:
Shri Sadashiva Sanskrit College established in the year 1865 was taken over by the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan as one of its constituent units on 15.8.71. The Campus is situated on eastern side of Jagannath Temple nearer to Governor House at Puri. The Campus is situated on a plot of 4.7 acre in its old building.
The Campus is pursuing research work leading to the degree of Vidyavaridhi(Ph.D.) and imparting education in Sahitya, Dharma Shastra, Navya Vyakarana, Puranetihas, jyotidh, advaita Vedanta, Navya Nyaya, Sarvadarshana and Sankhya Yoga at post-graduate and graduate level. There is computer education facility in the Campus. Ths Campus has 8 publications to its credit.there are 34 individual publications of teachers besides 105 Reaearch Papers and 277 articles. The campus has a library consisting of 34,586 books and 232 manuscripts costing about Rs. 8 lakhs.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan’s two other Vidyapeethas have been converted to deemed universities. They are:
As per tathya.in Shri J. B. Patnaik, ex CM of Orissa, and a scholar in his own right, has just been appointed as the Chancellor of the later.
Besides the above mentioned four Sanskrit Universities there are currently seven other sanskrit universities in India, taking the total to eleven.
June 21st, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.
… the Synovate survey of the Outlook magazine has put KIIT School of Technology, a constituent of KIIT University in the 18 the position among the top 100 private technical colleges of the country in the same league as prestigious institutes such as BITS of Pilani, PSG College of Technology of Coimbator, BIT of Mesra, Thapar University of Patiala and VIT University of Vellore. It is the only institute from Orissa to feature in this elite list of private engineering colleges.
The survey, which conducted every year to reveal the names of 100 topmost colleges of the country, focuses on five basic parameters such as intellectual capital, pedagogic system, industry interface, infrastructure and facilities and placements. However, while most of the colleges figuring in the list have a history of 50 to 100 years, KIIT is only ten- years-old. KIIT has substantially improved its rank this year compared to the previous years. It was ranked 37th in 2007 and 100th in the year before.
June 21st, 2008
From http://niser.iopb.res.in/careers/ the NISER pay is:
| Assistant Professor |
12,000-375-16,500 |
| Reader (F) |
14,300-400-18,300 |
| Associate Professor |
16,400-450-20,000 |
| Professor |
18,400-500-22,400 |
.. In addition to the basic salary, NISER faculty is entitled to allowances as admissible to Central Government Employees stationed at Bhubaneswar and to the DAE’s update allowance, which is currently Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 30,000 per year depending on the scale of pay. They will also receive other fringe benefits (like Relocation Grant, Reimbursement of telephone charges, financial support to attend national/international Conferences/Seminars/Workshops, etc.) which will be comparable to the best in the country.
From http://www.iiserkol.ac.in/career.html the IISER pay is:
1. Professor : Scale of pay : Rs 18,400 – 500 – 22,400
2. Associate Professor : Scale of pay : Rs 16,400 – 450 – 20,000
3. Assistant Professor : Scale of pay : Rs 12,000 – 420 – 18,300
including allowances as admissible to Central Government Employees in Kolkata.
… In addition to pay and allowances the faculty members may be provided with the following:
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Reimbursement of telephone charges up to Rs 750 per month.
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Rs 4000 per year as book grant.
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Reimbursement of 75% of membership fee (restricted to Rs.5,000.00) of two international and two national professional bodies every year.
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Financial support to attend national/international Conferences/Seminars/Workshops, etc.
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Seed money for starting research laboratory.
I wonder if IISERs have something comparable to the DAE update allowance that NISER will pay. Otherwise that could be a selling point for NISER over the IISERs. Perhaps a knowledgeable reader can enlighten us on this aspect.
June 20th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a news report in The Statesman.
The proposed medical college and hospital at Rourkela is expected to be set up soon as a team of hi-tech group of institutions, led by its chairman Mr Tirupati Panigrahi paid a visit to the site recently. It is said that the visit was intended for site selection and discussion with the district administration about the ancillary formalities. The group is believed to set up a 300-bed medical college and hospital here.
They visited the Rourkela government hospital (RGH) campus, sector-13 and sector-9.
The team also called on collector Dr K Kumar and discussed with him various aspects of the venture.
Reliable sources said the group, in the first phase, would build the hospital and within six months, would upgrade the same as a medical college.
Thoufh the CM had laid the foundation stone earlier, yet the inordinate delay and changed political scenario had made people believe that the medical college may not see the light of day. But the visit of the team is described as a ray of hope.
The Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) will partly finance the project in the initial stages, sources said. …
June 20th, 2008
Following is from http://www.ugc.ac.in/notices/proposals6-5-08.pdf.
1. Krupajal Engineering College, Pubasasan, Kausalya Ganga, Bhubaneshwar – 2, Orissa.
F. 9-17/2007- U.3 (A); dated 15th March, 2007; withdrawn. Fresh proposal received under De-Novo Category. No. F.9-27/2008 dt. 15.4.08
The Institute has withdrawan the proposal under General Category. No. F. 35-7/2007 (CPP-I) Proposal for De-Novo Category is under process.
2. College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar, Under Nabadigant, Educational Trust, Plot No. 1, Sector – 3, Chandaka Nucleus
Industrial Complex, Patia, Bhubaneswar – 751 024, Orissa. De-novo
F.9-30/2007-U.3 (A) dated 15th May, 2007
The Institute has been asked to comply with the deficiencies vide UGC Letter No. F. 35-3/2007 (CPPI) dated 27th August, 2007
3. Asian School of Business Management Bhubaneswar, Orissa. De-novo
F.9-45/2007-U.3 (A) dated 18th September, 2007
Letter for State Govt.’s Views has sent. The file is in process vide UGC File No. F. 35-5/2007 (CPP-I)
4. Vidya Bharti University, Gunupur, Distt. Rayagarha, Orissa
F.9-60/2007-U.3(A) dated 28.11.2007
The Institute has sent the compliance to this office letter dt 28.1.08 and the file is under process. F. 35-6/2007 (CPP-I)
5. Koustav Institute of Self Domain Patia, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. (DE-NOVO)
F. 9-68/2007- U.3(A) dated 9th January, 2008
Information has been called in checklist proforma vide UGC Letter F. 35-1/2008 (CPP-I) dt. 4.2.2008.
6. HI-TECH University, Plot No. A-170, Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
F. 9-4/2008-U.3(A) dated 15th January, 2008
Information has been called in checklist proforma vide UGC Letter F. 35-2/2008 (CPP-I) dt. 6.2.2008.
7. C.V. Raman University, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
F. 9-67/2007- U.3(A) dated 9th January, 2008
The Institute has been asked to comply with the deficiencies vide letter dt. 30.4.08 F. 35-4/2008 (CPP-I)
June 17th, 2008
(Update: New Indian Express also reports on it.)
Following is from a report in Pioneer.
Friends and well-wishers have developed a comprehensive website for IIT Bhubaneswar. The website, http://iitbbsr.net, talks about advantages of IIT Bhubaneswar over other new IITs. It includes a section of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Among the advantages of IIT Bhubaneswar is the fact that the first year classes will be held at IIT Kharagpur. And the students will be living with IIT Kharagpur students in the same hostels and taking classes taught by the faculty of the institute. Thus, these students will have a firsthand experience of an established IIT and will be able to bring the culture and traditions to IIT Bhubaneswar.
The other advantages of IIT Bhubaneswar are that it will be located in a well-connected metropolitan area with a population of 16.36 lakh. This is not too small to lack amenities and not too big to have the problems of big cities such as high crime rate, traffic congestion, power cuts, pollution, water scarcity, and mega slums.
Among the amenities, the IIT will be located right next to the lush green Chandaka-Dampara Elephant Sanctuary and close to the banks of the river Mahanadi. The green environment will provide the IITians plenty of opportunities to interact with the nature and recharge their brains.
At the same time, the students will be close to the malls, a water park, bookshops, museums and other urban facilities of Bhubaneswar. In terms of connectivity, Bhubaneswar is well-linked to the rest of the country by rail (from Amritsar, Hardwar, Goa and Cochin to Guwahati and Dibrugarh), road and air (Indian, Jetlite, Indigo, Kingfisher and Deccan).
But the main advantage of IIT Bhubaneswar will be that it will be driven to excellence by competition and collaboration with other national and premium institutes. The presence of NISER (National institute of Science Education and Research, which is at par with IISER but funded by DAE, proposed world-class Central University and the Rs12,000-crore Vedanta University will be advantageous to them.
It will provide the IITians additional research and management opportunities at XIM (Xaviers institute of Management), AIIMS-like institute, National Law University, Institute of Physics, Institute of Life Sciences, Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Regional Medical Research Centre, Regional Plant Resources Centre, CIFA and CRRI.
In addition, Bhubaneswar houses the country’s major software companies, including Infosys, WIPRO, TCS and Satyam, and is the State’s hub in terms of investment. Finally, the social life and career of the IITians will be complimented by the presence of 30-plus other engineering colleges, seven universities (Utkal, OUAT, Culture, Ravenshaw, KIIT, SOA and Sri Jagannath) and two other upcoming universities (ICFAI and Sri Sri), in the area.
With all these advantages, and the State Government’s extraordinary support, whereby it plans to give 1,000 acres of land to IIT Bhubaneswar, much more than the 500-600 acres that the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has suggested, IIT Bhubaneswar is destined to be among the top IITs of the country, feel educationists.
June 17th, 2008
I was just talking to one of the Deans at IIT Kharagpur (mentor institution of IIT Bhubaneswar) about the arrangements for the first batch students of IIT Bhubaneswar. He said that as their plan stands now, during the first year
- IIT Bhubaneswar students will be staying in the hostels (called Halls in KGP) together with IIT Kharagpur students
- IIT Bhubaneswar students will be taught by IIT Kharagpur faculty; it will be like adding one (or more) sections to their first batch.
- More on IIT Bhubaneswar at the unofficial IIT Bhubaneswar web site.
In comparison,
- As per IIT Gujarat FAQ, IIT Gujarat students will be having classes at Vishwakarma Government Engineering College at Chandkheda, Gandhinagar – 382424 and thus may not have the chance to know first hand about the customs and culture of an established IIT.
- The FAQ has the following to say about the teaching: The Institute is being set up with a lead time of just two months. In spite of that, IIT Bombay has ensured that there is competent and adequate number of faculty to teach the first year, which primarily consists of science and humanities courses. Some of the faculty has been hired directly; some are on the rolls of IIT Bombay while a few are retired but very reputed teachers from IIT Bombay. In the second semester, there is one course known as Departmental Introductory Course. As we are unlikely to have engineering faculty by that time, these courses will be taught by adjunct faculty from nearby Institutes (viz. Dhirubahai Ambani Institute on Information and Communication Technology and D.U. Institute of Petroleum, both of which are headed by former senior faculty of IIT Bombay.) Arrangements have also been made for the drawing and workshop. IIT Bombay is setting up an urgent recruitment process to ensure that quality engineering faculty is there before the second year starts.
- As per IIT Rajasthan website:
- IIT Rajasthan students will have class in IIT Kanpur for the first one or two semesters.
- They will be staying separate (in apartments converted to hostel like accommodation) from the IIT Kanpur students.
- They may be taught by some IIT Kanpur faculty and scientists (depending on who volunteers) and IIT Kanpur will be trying to recruit new faculty as well as availing the service of some retired faculty.
- IIT Hyderabad will have classes in rented space near their ultimate location.
- IIT Patna. mentored by IIT Guwahati, will start classes in a polytechnique in Patna.
- IIT Punjab will have classes in IIT Delhi.
June 14th, 2008
The Pioneer reported the following.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said the Institute of Mathematics and Application would be made a world class institute. "The new buildings of the institute and other infrastructure would be ready within one month," he said.
Patnaik said this while distributing prizes to the winners of the regional mathematic Olympiads in a glittering function at Jaydev Bhawan. "Mathematics plays an immense role in development of science and technology," he said, adding that the Mathematics Institute should play a pro-active role in spreading the knowledge of mathematics in the tribal dominated areas. "More tribals would come up to take up mathematics as a subject," he said.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the eminent mathematician Professor Gokulananda Das. Science and Technology Minister Duryodhana Majhi, Professor Venkata Chela of Indian Science and Technology, Bangalore also delivered their speeches. Director of the Institute Professor Swadhin Patnaik delivered the welcome speech.
The Chief Minister gave away first prizes to Debakanta Mallick (1st) Anup Biswanth Dixit (2nd) of Bhubaneswar, Siddharth Satpahty ( 3rd) and Abinash Das (4th)
June 12th, 2008
