Talabasta near Banki a likely site for the world class central university: Samaja

Update June 11, 2009:Tathya.in reports that the Education Minister Debi Mishra mentioned this in the OLA. Following is an excerpt.

The Orissa Government has identified a patch of 700 acre plus land at Talabasta in Banki Sub-division of Cuttack district for the proposed World Class University. 

Debi Prasad Mishra, Minister Higher Education has revealed in the Orissa House on 11 June here. 

Replaying to a question Mr.Mishra said that the State Government has informed the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in this regard. 

The land is free from litigations and it was also near to the Capital. 

The River Mahanadi at the backdrop, makes the place a picturesque one, said he. 

“We have asked MHRD to send their site selection team to finalize the site”, said Mr.Mishra.


1 comment May 28th, 2008

Some plans for the proposed world-class universities

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

India has asked Britain for financial and technical assistance to set up a new “world class” university (WCU) …

Sources said Purandeswari told Rammell at a meeting in Delhi yesterday that India needed assistance in modernising teacher-training programmes in higher education.

Faculty support — a euphemism for greater participation of guest lecturers from the foreign country — was another request put forward by Purandeswari, the sources said, adding that she also dwelt on skill development — educating students for the job market — as a “key issue”.

Rammell is learnt to have told the minister that the UK was in the process of restructuring its own skill development process, and was willing to share its experiences.

The two ministers are expected to meet again in London on July 18 or 19.

… the universities are set to come up in Bengal (Calcutta), Assam, Orissa, Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

The universities will be controlled by the Centre but kept distinct from existing central universities, and will be nurtured to compete with institutions like Harvard and Cambridge.

 

May 28th, 2008

A good location suggestion for WCCU Bhubaneswar: letter to Samaja

May 20th, 2008

Eleventh Plan HRD distribution across states

Following is excerpted and corrected from http://darpg.nic.in/arpg-website/ChiefSectConf/PPT/HRD.ppt. (See also https://www.orissalinks.com/?p=1043.)

Eleventh Plan HRD distribution across states
State Higher and Technical institutes in the 11th Plan Educationally backward districts Districts not having any polytechnic
Jammu & Kashmir  IIM, CU  11  18
Punjab  IIT, IISER, CU, WCCU  13  0
 Haryana  IIM, CU  7  0
 Himachal Pradesh  IIT, CU  4  5
 NCT of Delhi  South Asian University under SAARC likely to come up  0  3
 Uttar Pradesh  IIT, WCCU  39  13
 Uttarakhand  IIM, CU  2  0
 Rajasthan  IIT, NIT, CU, WCCU  30  1
 Gujarat  IIT, CU, WCCU  20  4
 Maharashtra  IISER, WCCU  7  4
 Madhya Pradesh  IISER, SPA, 2 CU (including IGNTU), WCCU, IIT  39  12
 Chhatisgarh  IIM, CU  15  9
 Goa  CU  0  0
 Dadra & NH  –  3  0
 Andhra Pradesh  IIT, WCCU, SPA  11  0
 Karnataka  CU, WCCU  21  0
 Tamil Nadu  IIM, CU, WCCU  27  0
 Kerala  IISER, CU, WCCU, NIT (IIEST)  20  0
 Pudducherry  –  1  0
 Andaman & Nicober  –  2  2
 Laksadweep  –  1  0
 Bihar  IIT, CU, WCCU  25  27
 Jharkhand  IIM, CU  12  11
 Orissa NISER*,  IIT, CU, WCCU
 18  11
 West Bengal  IISER, WCCU, NIT (IIEST)  17  2
 Assam  WCCU  12  13
 Meghalaya  IIM  5  4
 Mizoram  –  7  6
 Manipur  –  0  2
 Tripura  –  2  3
 Nagaland  –  1  8
 Arunachal Pradesh  –  12  14
 Sikkim  –  4  2
TOTAL 9 IITs, 5 IISERs, 16 CUs, 14 WCCUs, 3 NITs, 1 NISER, 2 SPAs, 7 IIMs  388  174

 * Not funded by MHRD.

 So Orissa could get 18 colleges (in 18 districts) and 11 polytechnics. Each of these colleges would be supported by GOI by upto Rs. 2.5 Crore or one-third cost with the balance being met by the State Government or Private participation.

May 15th, 2008

CM promises to write Delhi about central university in Kalahandi

Following is from a report in New Indian Express.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has assured a delegation from Kalahandi district that he will pressurise the Centre to set up a central university in Kalahandi district.

A 25-member delegation led by Minister of State for Law and Employment Pradipta Kumar Nayak met the Chief Minister at the Secretariat on Tuesday. The delegation impressed upon the Chief Minister about the need for establishment of a central university in Kalahandi district as it is educationally backward.

The district has all infrastructure facilities for establishment of a central university and the demand has been pending since 1988, the delegation comprising former ministers Balabhadra Majhi, Himansu Sekhar Meher and legislator Pushpendra Singhdeo said.

After hearing from the delegation, Naveen assured that he will write a letter to Human Resources Development (HRD) ministry about setting up the varsity in Kalahandi.

3 comments May 8th, 2008

Andhra Pradesh to have a world class university in Kadapa: Orissa should have one in Rourkela

Update 1: It looks like my assumption below that the university at Kadapa is a state one was wrong. As per Times of India, the AP government just decided to change the venue of the world class central university from Vizag to Kadapa.

Update 2: Later reports mention that the AP government did not ask the center before making the Kadapa announcement and the central govt. may not agree to shift the location from Vizag to Kadapa.

Initial post:

Following is an excerpt from newpostindia.com.

The meeting also decided to set up a world-class university in Kadapa, the home district of the chief minister, for which the government will allot 700 acres of land.

In this regard, one may note that the central government had announced that it will establish a world class central university in Vizag. I assume the Andhra Pradesh Government is talking about a different university (state funded) for Kadapa.

The Orissa government should follow Andhra’s example and besides the central govt. funded world class university in Bhubaneswar and another central university in KBK, the Orissa government should establish a world class university in Rourkela via state funds or PPP.

 

5 comments May 5th, 2008

Jharkhand Central University to come in Khunti village near Ranchi

Following is an excerpt on this from a report in Telegraph.

Jharkhand’s first central university has finally found itself a home: it will come up over 300 acres at a site in Khunti district, 18km from the state capital.

68 comments April 24th, 2008

700 acres needed for the world class central university

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

The Human Resource Development Ministry has asked the State Government to identify land for the proposed Indian Institute of Technology and the Central University (CU) announced by the Centre.

In a communique to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Ministry has requested for 700 acres of land free of cost near the Capital for setting up Central University. …

The contour and the shape of the institutions, however, will be defined shortly. The new IT IIT and the CU will be set up during the 11th Plan period.

4 comments April 22nd, 2008

PIB with budget estimates for IITs, IIMs and Central Universities

Update: As per an earlier PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=29814 the regular central universities (not the world class ones) will have a budget of Rs 300 crores each.

Update 2: As per the PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=31005 the NISER budget is 823.19 crores and as per the PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=12975 the IISER budgets are 500 crores.

Update 3: Budget for new AIIMS-like institution is 332 crores each while for upgradation is 120 crores each of which 100 crores is from the central government and 20 crores is from the state government.

Update4: Budget for the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University is 60 crore for establishment and 12cr/year during the 11th plan.

Update 5: The budget for each new AIIMS-like institutition was increased on Feb 25, 2009 to 533 crores from its original estimate of 332 crores.

Updated 6: The budget  for new AIIMS like institutions is now pegged at 850 crores each.

Following is from http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=37684.

IITS, IIMS AND UNIVERSITIES OF WORLD CLASS STANDARD


20:25 IST

RAJYA SABHA

Based on the recommendations made by the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM), it has been decided to set up three new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), one each in the States of Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh during the XI plan. In order to expand the facilities for high quality management education in the North-East, the Government has decided to establish an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), at Shillong.

After considering requests of the State Governments and other relevant factors such as existing regional distribution of Central Educational Institutions in the country, it has been decided to locate 5 more IITs and 6 more IIMs in the following States :-

IITs – Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Gujarat and Punjab.

IIMs – Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Uttarakhand and Haryana.

16 States which do not have a Central University at present, and which will get one Central University each in the 11th Plan are Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa. Of these, in three States, existing State Universities will be taken over by the Central Government and converted into Central Universities. These three Universities are Dr. Hari Singh Gaur University, Sagar (in Madhya Pradesh), Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur (in Chhattisgarh), and Goa University. It has also been decided to locate 14 world class Universities, one each in the 14 States / Regions as detailed in the Annexure. State Governments of Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have offered land free of cost for setting up of IITs in their States. Locations of remaining Institutes / Central Universities will depend on various factors including the sites as may be offered by the respective State Governments.

A total outlay for setting up of one new IIT, with an intake capacity of 860 students is expected to be Rs. 760 crores. The total outlay for setting up of one IIM, with an intake capacity of 180 students is expected to be of the order of Rs. 210.25 crores. The estimated cost for infrastructure of a Central University with a School of Medicine, with an intake capacity of about 12700 students, would be about Rs. 720 crores spread over a period of 9 years. These new Institutes / universities will be funded by the Central Government (except cost of developed land).

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Smt. D. Purandeswari in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

…..

HB/PB

 

 

1 comment April 21st, 2008

IIT in Orissa announcement repeated in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha: PIB

Following is from http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=37505.

SETTING UP OF IIT, IIM AND CENTRAL UNIVERSITIES


18:15 IST

LOK SABHA

Based on the recommendations made by the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM), it has been decided to set up three new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), one each in the States of Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh during the XI plan. In order to expand the facilities for high quality management education in the North-East, the Government has decided to establish an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), at Shillong. After considering requests of the State Governments and other relevant factors such as existing regional distribution of Central Educational Institutions in the country, it has been decided to locate 5more IITs and 6 more IIMs in the following States:-

IITs – Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Gujarat and Punjab.

IIMs – Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh (Raipur), Uttarakhand and Haryana.

16 States which do not have a Central University at present, and which will get one Central University each in the 11th Plan are Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa. Of these, in three States, existing State Universities will be taken over by the Central Government and converted into Central universities. These three Universtities are Dr. Hari Singh Gaur University, Sagar (in Madhya Pradesh), Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur (in Chattisgarh), and Goa University.

Establishment of IITs, IIMs, and Central Universities in the above States is subject to State Governments offering adequate land at suitable locations, free of cost, for the purpose. Each of the concerned State Government is being requested to offer land accordingly. Actual establishment of these institutions would however depend, among other things, on how quickly the concerned State Governments respond by allotting adequate land at suitable locations.

Locations of 20 new Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IITs), to be set up in the 11th Plan have not been finalized.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. D. Purandeswari in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

…..

HB/VL/SB/IIT16.4

 

The Raja Sabha PIB is at http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=37632.

SETTING UP OF NEW IITS AND IIMS


17:9 IST

RAJYA SABHA          

Based on the recommendations made by the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM), it has been decided to set up three new Indian institutes of Technology (IITs), one each in the States of Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh during XI plan.  In order to expand the facilities for high quality management education in the North-East, the Government has decided to establish an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), at Shillong.  A list of State Governments from whom requests were received for setting up of IITs and IIMs is annexed.   After considering requests of the State Governments and other relevant factors such as existing regional distribution of Central Educational Institutions in the country, it has been decided to locate 5 more IITs and 6 more IIMs in the following States:-

            IITs:      Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab.

            IIMs:     Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Haryana.

It was also decided that no new IIT and IIM will be established in the same state.

For IITs

For IIMs

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Jharkhand

Jharkhand

Goa

Goa

Madhya Pradesh

Maharashtra

Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh

Orissa

Assam

Gujarat

Punjab

Kerala

 

Chhattisgarh

 

Tripura

 

Mizoram

 

            This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Smt. D. Purandeswari in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

…..

HB/PB

 

1 comment April 16th, 2008

Glimpse of GOI’s plan for attracting good faculty to top institutes and central universities

Following is an excerpt from Economic Times.

Giving details of the measures, Secretary Higher Education R P Agarwal said Indians teaching abroad will be offered Ramanujan fellowship.

The fellowship would offer Rs 5 lakh for five years as research grant to them. Apart from this, they would be given a pay package of Rs 60,000 that would now be revised keeping the sixth pay commission in mind.

The acclaimed faculty teaching in India would be given the Bose fellowship. There would also be grants for paper presentation for all the faculty members, Agarwal said.

To strengthen the science stream, the research grant in the field would be increased.

"In India, only 2.9 per cent people are into research. Where as in US the percentage is 15 and in UK the figure is 25 per cent. Canada tops the list with 36 per cent and all these research works are done through their university system only in these countries," Agarwal added.

March 29th, 2008

State-wise exisiting and proposed marquee institutes and central universities

Below we list the existing the existing IITs (7), IISc (1), IISERs(5)/NISER(1), IIMs(6), Central Universities and the proposed new ones (9 IITs, 7 IIMs, 14 world class central univs -WCCU, 16 central univs). (We also list a few other marquee institutions.) The recently established ones are in green and the  new ones are in red.

  • 28 States               
    1.     Andhra Pradesh: CU Hyderabad, CU: Maulana Azad National Urdu Univ, CU – CIEFL; Workers Technical University – CU, IIT in Hyderabad, WCCU Vizag Kadapa Vizag
    2.     Assam and 7 other north-eastern states: CU: Assam University, CU: Tezpur University, IIT  Guwahati, WCCU GUwahati
      1. Arunachal Pradesh: CU
      2. Manipur: Central Agricultural University – Imphal, CU: Manipur University
      3. Meghalaya: CU – NEHU Shillong, IIM Shillong
      4. Mizoram: CU – Mizoram University Aizawl
      5. Nagaland: CU – Nagaland University
      6. Sikkim: CU – Sikkim University
      7. Tripura: CU – Tripura University
    3.     Bihar: IIT in Patna, WCCU Patna, CU
    4.     Chhattisgarh: IIM (Raipur), CU – Guru Ghasidas University Bilaspur
    5.     Goa: CU- Goa University
    6.     Gujarat: IIM Ahmedabad, IIT, WCCU Gandhinagar, CU
    7.     Haryana: IIM, CU
    8.     Himachal Pradesh: IIT, CU
    9.     Jammu and Kashmir: IIM, CU
    10.     Jharkhand: ISM Dhanbad, IIM, CU
    11.     Karnataka: IISc Bangalore, IIM Bangalore, WCCU Mysore, CU
    12.     Kerala: IIM Kozhikode, IISER Trivendrum, IIST Trivendrum, WCCU Kochi, CU
    13.     Madhya Pradesh: IIM Indore, IISER Bhopal, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University – Amarkantak, IIT in Indore, WCCU Bhopal, CU – Hari Singh Gaur University in Sagar
    14.     Maharashtra: CU: Mahatma Gandhi Antarashtriya Hindi Univ. Wardha,  IIT Bombay, IISER PuneWCCU Pune,
    15.     Orissa: NISER Bhubaneswar, IIT, WCCU Bhubaneswar, CU
    16.     Punjab: IISER MohaliIIT, WCCU Amritsar, CU
    17.     Rajasthan: IIT, WCCU Jaipur, CU
    18.     Tamil Nadu: IIT Madras, CU – Indian Maritime University, IIM Trichy, WCCU Coimbatore, CU
    19.     Uttarakhand: IIT Roorkee, IIM, CU
    20.     Uttar Pradesh: CU- AMU, CU – Allahabad University, CU – BHU, CU – Ambedkar Univ Lucknow, IIT Kanpur, IIM Lucknow, RGIPT, Rae Bareilly, IT BHU -> IIT , WCCU Noida
    21.     West Bengal: CU – Viswa Bharati University Shantiniketan,  IIT Kharagapur, IIM Calcutta, IISER Kolkata, WCCU Kolkata

             

  •  Union Territories        
    1.      Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    2.     Chandigarh
    3.     Dadra and Nagar Haveli
    4.     Daman and Diu
    5.     Delhi: IIT Delhi, CU: Delhi University, CU: JNU, CU: IGNOU, CU: Jamia Milia Islamia
    6.     Lakshadweep
    7.     Puducherry: CU – Pondicherry University

5 comments March 28th, 2008

IIT in Orissa, a world class central university and another central university (hopefully in KBK) announced by the center : PIB

Following is from a PIB press release http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=36955.

PRESS NOTE – STATES IDENTIFIED FOR LOCATING NEW CENTRAL INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE 11TH FIVE YEAR PLAN


11:55 IST

The 11th Five Year Plan, endorsed by the National Development Council in December, 2007, envisages, inter-alia, establishment of the following new higher education institutions in the Central sector:

A          Technical Education Institutions

·         8 Indian Institutes of Technology

·         7 Indian Institutes of Management

B          Central Universities

·         14  Universities aiming at world class standards

·         16  Universities in States which do not have a Central University at present

 

2.         Out of the above new institutions, location decisions had already been taken in the case of 4 IITs and one IIM. Hon’ble Prime Minister has since approved the proposals made by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, for the location of the remaining institutions as per the details given below.

Location of new IITs/ IIMs.

3.         Location of 4 IITs  (in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh),  and one IIM (at Shillong) have already been announced. The Central Government has now decided to locate the remaining 4 IITs and 6 IIMs in the following States :

IITs   Orissa, Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Gujarat and  Punjab

 IIMs    Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Uttarakhand and Haryana In addition, it is also proposed to convert the Institute of Technology of the Banaras Hindu University   into an IIT.  Admission to this Institute is already based on the  IIT – Joint Entrance Examination.

Location of 14 World Class Universities

4.         As regards 14 Central Universities aiming at  world class standards, it has been considered necessary that these are located in or near selected large cities which would automatically have the kind of connectivity and infrastructure  which such universities would need.  Accordingly, it has been decided  to locate one such University in each of the 14 States/Region  as shown  in the  enclosed List, and to request concerned State Governments to identify adequate land in or near the  selected  cities.

Location of 16 Central Universities in Uncovered States        

5.         16 States which do not have a  Central University at present, and which will get one  Central University each  in the  11th Plan are  Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa.   Of these, in three States, existing State Universities will be taken over by the Central Government and converted into Central Universities. These   three Universities are   Dr. Hari Singh Gaur University, Sagar (in Madhya Pradesh), Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur (in Chhattisgarh), and Goa University.

6.         Establishment of IITs, IIMs and Central Universities in the above States is subject to State Governments offering adequate   land at suitable locations, free of cost, for the purpose.  Each of the concerned State Government is being requested to offer land accordingly.  Actual establishment of these institutions would however depend, among other things, on how quickly the concerned State Governments respond  by allotting adequate land at suitable locations.

State-wise List of Cities Identified for locating 14 Central Universities during the  XIth Plan  which would aim to achieve  world class  standards

State                                        City

1.         Maharashtra                            Pune

2.         West Bengal                            Kolkata

3.         Tamil Nadu                               Coimbatore

4.         Karnataka                                Mysore

5.         Andhra Pradesh                        Vishakapatanam

6.         Gujarat                                     Gandhinagar

7.         Rajasthan                                 Jaipur

8.         Bihar                                        Patna

9.         Madhya Pradesh                       Bhopal

10.        Kerala                                      Kochi

11.        Punjab                                     Amritsar

12.        Orissa                                      Bhubaneshwar

13.        Uttar Padesh                            Greater NOIDA

14.        North Eastern Region    Guwahati

                                                            …..

Department of Higher Education, Ministry of HRD

PIB, New Delhi; Chatra 08, 1930,March 28, 2008

HB/VL/SB/conference28.3

5 comments March 28th, 2008

Orissa government’s delay in responding may cost Orissa a world class central university

Update: A report in Samaja and Pioneer are given below.

Following is tathya.in’s take on it.

Orissa is yet to send the proposal for setting up a World Class University (WCU) in the state.

Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has written to State Government to send a Detailed Proposal for a WCU in Orissa.

MHRD wrote the letter sequel to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s historic initiative on higher education includes 14 world class central universities each with an approximate initial budget of Rs. 1000 crores.

Besides traditional disciplines, these universities are supposed to have a medical school, an engineering school, a business school and a law school.

Currently India does not have any such world class university, and the central government, serious about the "world class" label wants these universities in locations that will create synergies.

Various news items have mentioned proximity to research labs such as CSIR labs as one of the qualifying locational attributes.

Orissa, at 6.1 per cent is at the bottom of the higher education enrollment among all major states, and needs to cover the biggest gap to make it to the 11th plan target of 15 per cent.

Moreover, Orissa is the 9th largest state of the country in terms of area and 11th largest in terms of population.

It also does not have any existing central universities.

Thus one would expect that Orissa would be in the front of the line making its case for one of these world class universities.

Unfortunately that is not the case.

Even after receiving communication from MHRD on this count Orissa has not yet responded, admited a senior official.

It would be a shame if Orissa loses out on this because of not making a proper and timely case, lamented an educationist.

Insiders say that the BJD-BJP Government is doing this deliberately so that when Orissa does not get one of these world class universities, than the government will again accuse the UPA Government of neglecting the state.

It is true that in recent past the UPA Government has created havoc by taking away a previously announced IIT from Orissa.

But in this particular case, the PM himself has stated categorically that there will be a competition between states in making decisions regarding the locations of the world class universities.

So if Orissa does not even send a timely proposal how can we blame the UPA government for Orissa not being given one of the WCU.

Chandrasekhar Sahu, Minister of State, Rural Development has written to MHRD about Orissa getting one of the WCU.

But one wonders if this will turn out like the NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) case.

Mr. Sahu was promised consideration for a NIFT by the Union Textiles Minister Sankar Sinh Vaghela, but the whole state was embarrassed in the Parliament when it was stated in a reply that Orissa government has never submitted a request for a NIFT.

In case of NIFT, Bihar took the lead in sending a proposal and snatched it from Orissa.

If Orissa loses out in getting one of the 14 world class university because of the current government’s laziness or because of its devious strategy to win elections at the cost of harming Orissa so that it can blame the Center, the people of Orissa will never forgive this Government, feel educationists.

2 comments December 28th, 2007

14 World class universities in India: Guidelines being formulated, States to compete

Following is an excerpt from a report on this in Economic Times.

NEW DELHI: With a thrust on improving the standard of higher education, government is working on a proposal to set up 14 ‘World Class Universities’ across the country at an early date.

A blueprint is being prepared by the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry and Planning Commission to set out the criteria for such universities, which will have a business management school, an engineering college, a medical college, a law college in a single campus.

The proposal is being pursued by the Prime Minister’s office which has asked the HRD Ministry and Planning Commission to expedite formulation of guidelines for such universities and give the final picture by the third week of this month.

… The HRD Ministry and Planning Commission have started working on these guidelines acting on the proposal of full Planning Commission meeting on education sector that held on September 13.

"We are working at a very fast pace on the guidelines because we have already been told once by the PMO that we are behind the schedule. So soon we will have the guidelines in place," said Mungekar, former Vice Chancellor of Mumbai University.

… Proposals for setting up the ‘World Class Universities’ will be invited from all the states and those meeting the criteria will benefit. This will, in effect, do away with allegations of discrimination by states.

"The rules are going to be very stringent. The states have to compete to get the world class university," Mungekar said while giving an outline of the regulations.

Besides reasonable rules like a big plot of a land for free in prime location, there would be other demanding criteria that the states will have to meet while competing for having such universities.

In the allotment of such centrally-funded universities, priority will be given to states which do not have central varsities at present.

Orissa must get ready to prepare and send a good proposal on this. After the criteria is announced there may not be much time to do this. So preparing for this beforehand is important.

1 comment November 18th, 2007

Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar on the 11th Plan education budget

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

Education is set to receive a Rs 2.85 lakh crore boost, with the Planning Commission increasing the allocation for the sector by a massive 19.9% in the 11th Five Year Plan.

The education budget has been classified into elementary, adult and secondary, and higher education. For elementary education, Rs 1.25 lakh crore is being earmarked, which is a major hike from the Rs 30,000 crore allocated in the last Plan.

Likewise, the share of adult and secondary education is being increased to Rs 6,000 crore and Rs 53,000 crore, respectively. As per the plan document, Rs 84,000 crore are being set aside for higher and technical education.

Planning Commission member, Bhalchandra Mungekar, said the increase in the budget for health and education is an attempt to achieve inclusive growth.

…  "The most important issue is our agenda for reforms in higher education system, where we have asked for major structural changes," he said. "Major reforms are a must like introducing credit and semesters systems and exam reforms."

The Plan has set aside resources for a massive expansion of higher education. It seeks to establish 30 new central universities of which 16 are to be set up in areas which don’t have a central university. The rest 14 are to be model universities of world class infrastructure.

According to HRD ministry, each of these 14 universities would cost around Rs 1,000 crores. There are plans for seven more IITs, seven IIMs, 10 National Institute of Technology, five Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, 20 IIITs and two schools of architecture. There will also be 330 new colleges in educationally backward districts.

 

November 14th, 2007

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