Besides IITs and NITs some centrally funded engineering colleges are being established by the central govt. in various states. This includes the Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology in Punjab and Central Institute of Technology, Kokrajhar, Assam.
Following is a PIB report on a similar institute being established in Malda, West Bengal.
The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for establishment of Ghani Khan Choudhary Institute of Engineering & Technology, as a Centrally funded institution in Malda, West Bengal on the modular pattern of teaching as adopted by Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology (SLIET), Longowal, Punjab. The Institution will offer courses in Engineering and Technology to cater to the various manpower requirements of the region, with special emphasis on courses relevant to the local population such as in food technology & sericulture.
Initially, the Institution would start with Certificate level courses leading to Diploma, Degree and Post-graduate levels later.
The total project outlay of the Institute will be around Rs. 97 crores.
Orissa should ask for a similar engineering college to cater to the backward KBK+ districts and located in Kalahandi.
Koraput will have the central university; Branch of IGNTU is being pursued in Kandhamala. So an engineering college like SLIET should be located in Kalahandi. The institute can be called KBK institute of Engineering and Technology (KBKIET).
November 20th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India. (Thanks to Prof. Ratan Ghosh for the pointer.)
In the coming years, the IIT palette will have on offer a range of shades beyond the cut-and-dry coding courses. A bunch of doctors, historians, perhaps policy makers too, could boast of IIT degrees.
… the XIth five-year committee for higher education is working with these centres of excellence to expand their charts. The committee, headed by educationist Yash Pal, that is meeting IIT heads on Friday will discuss how the tech schools can change their character and, like American universities, enlarge their menu.
"Currently, the IITs are premier undergraduate engineering schools doing some postgraduation and research work. Now, we want to give them a bigger role," Yash Pal told TOI. The noted scientist said that he had discussed his suggestions with some IIT directors and that a clearer picture would emerge after this week’s meeting.
While the IITs will be given more oxygen in terms of starting courses of their choice, it’s difficult to predict whether the new subjects offered will compare in excellence with the engineering departments, or be relegated to the sidelines, like the IITs’ management schools. However, Yash Pal said, "All great universities around the world offer a range of undergraduate courses. Our IITs can’t be great unless they think in that direction."
The committee is looking at the Big Daddy of engineering colleges for inspiration. "If MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) or Caltech (California Institute of Technology) can offer a wider range of programmes that are well-known, why not the IITs? Our IITs have produced wonderful engineers for the country. It’s time they looked at offering more," he added.
Former Indian Institute of Science director Govardhan Mehta, who’s also on the committee, said that the country was currently at a stage where an institute running one programme was also being termed a university. "However, a university, as defined in the ninth century, is an institution with a confluence of many disciplines where research and teaching are carried out. While expansion of courses in the IITs is what our committee is thinking of, Friday’s meeting will give us a chance to know what’s in the IIT heads’ minds," he said.
… IIT-Guwahati director Gautam Barua said, "There has been some suggestion that the IITs start programmes in areas other than science and technology. I do not have a problem with doing that if our focus is clearly defined."
… Educationist and former director of IIT-Chennai P V Indiresan, who has spent a large part of his life in the IIT system, said the institutes had been synonymous with excellence and they must not start any programmes unless they got very good faculty for the same.
How the IITs will rise to the challenge remains to be seen. What’s certain, however, is that the flow charts on their lush campuses are set to be redrawn.
November 20th, 2008
Update: See also this article in Times of India.
Following are excerpts from a report in Telegraph.
The Prime Minister’s plans of setting up a new class of universities to specifically compete with global institutions are being held up by differences between key government arms.
The HRD ministry has proposed a category of “Navratna” institutes comprising 14 new universities and existing top state varsities, government officials have said.
These institutes would be on a par with “world-class” universities but would be known by the new name because some people are against the earlier nomenclature.
The universities of Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai are being considered for Navratna status.
However, the University Grants Commission has opposed starting institutes with the specific mandate of competing with the world’s best, sources said.
… The UPA government had promised 14 new world-class universities, including one in Calcutta, under the eleventh five-year plan. But the differences have led to an impasse and the plans, though not yet shelved, are headed for the backburner, the sources said.
… At meetings with universities in July, September and last week, HRD ministry officials were questioned on how a new university stood a better chance of becoming “world-class” compared with established institutions.
So, the ministry — through higher education secretary R.P. Agrawal — suggested that instead of having just 14 new world-class universities, a new category could be created.
This could be called the Navratna category and it could include top state universities apart from the 14 new ones aspiring to world-class standards.
But UGC chairman Sukhdeo Thorat apparently said that creating another category would introduce a new Brahmin into an already layered “caste system” in higher education.
Under the “caste system”, central universities receive maximum attention from policy makers, followed by state universities. Deemed-to-be universities are a rung lower.
… Officials have also questioned the basis on which state universities would be given Navratna status.
“For instance, if Calcutta University is given the status, how can we refuse Jadavpur University?” an official asked.
The concept of “world class universities” is a part of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s plans to make India a “knowledge economy” — a global hub of myriad branches of education and learning.
The initial plan sees them as unified centres of excellence in engineering, the sciences, humanities, management and medicine — on a par with the IITs, IIMs and the AIIMS.
November 19th, 2008
Update: Pioneer reported on this; Expressbuzz.com reported on this; Zee news reported on this.
Following is an excerpt from a PTI report in Hindu:
Orissa government has asked the Centre to adopt a long term plan for Kandhamal, prone to ethno-communal violence instead of seeking any quick solution, official sources said on Tuesday.
Orissa’s suggestion came after the high-level central team headed by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, which visited Kandhamal today, sought to know what assistance was needed in mitigating the problems there.
"The Centre wants to support Orissa in building confidence among all sections of the people in Kandhamal," Pawar told reporters after the team arrived here yesterday.
Identifying backwardness in education, lack of connectivity and poor livelihood means as the cause behind the ethno-communal violence in Kandhamal, Orissa government asked the Centre to set up a campus of the National Tribal University, Amarkantak at Phulbani, the district headquarter town.
"As scheduled tribes constitute 52 per cent of Kandhamal’s population, it is proposed to have one Ekalavya model residential school (EMRS) in each block to cater to the needs of tribal children," …
This apart, the state government also asked for at least six schedule caste hostels to cater the children of SCs who comprise 17 per cent of the total population in the district . ..
Following is from a report in tathya.in.
Naveen Patnaik has demanded for a Regional Centre of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in Kandhamal.
Presenting the memorandum to the Central Ministerial Team headed by Sharad Pawar, the Chief Minister pleaded for the Centre of Higher Learning in the riot –hit tribal zone.
… He said it will go a long way to provide education to the tribal youth, who are in difficult situation.
Following is from Sambada. It mentions the demand for an ICAR lab.
November 18th, 2008
Following is from a PTI report.
Tue-Sep 16, 2008
New Delhi / Press Trust of India
The first tribal university of the country, which aims at promoting higher education among the Scheduled Tribes, has started functioning from this session in Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh but sans teachers and a campus of its own.
Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), the first of its kind dedicated for education and research on tribals, has given admission to 150 students this year. It will offer courses in humanities and commerce.
"We have given admission to about 150 students, including 100 belonging to tribal communities. We are offering Bachelor Degree programmes in anthropology, tourism, political science, geography, history and commerce," IGNTU Vice-Chancellor C D Singh told PTI.
The university, which is yet to have its own Academic Council, has adopted the syllabus of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for the courses.
HRD Minister Arjun Singh had laid the foundation of the university at Amarkantak on April 19 this year. However, the land is yet to be acquired for its campus.
"We have hired a building of an Ashram in Amarkantak where we will conduct classes. Hope we will get the land soon from the state government," the Vice-Chancellor said.
A major portion of the land earmarked for the campus comes under forest area. It has not been transferred to the university till date.
The university has started the process of recruiting its registrar and teaching faculty.
The courses on anthropology and tourism will touch upon the tribals’ tradition and culture, he said.
"We will start research on tribal art, culture, tradition, language, custom, medicinal system, forest-based economic activities including special studies in flora and fauna and advancement in technologies relating to natural resources of tribal areas. All these will start after we get the campus and adequate staff," the Vice-Chancellor said.
The university, set up under a Central law enacted last year, will have jurisdiction all over the country and will be funded by the University Grants Commission.
The education of the tribal people has been a matter of concern in view of low gross enrolment ratio (GER), the percentage of people of the relevant age group in the realm of higher education. While the national GER is 11.6 percent, the GER of the tribals is a meagre 6.6 percent.
The university, which will be broadly on the pattern of existing Central universities, will cater particularly to the tribal people in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat, he said.
Besides headquarters at Amarkantak, the university will have regional centres and campuses in other tribal concentrated areas, the Vice-Chancellor said.
Authorities of the university like executive council, academic council, college development council, boards of studies, academic boards, management boards and finance committees will have adequate number of members from among the Scheduled Tribes, he said.
Amarkantak has been selected as the site for the university because it is a central point in the tribal areas stretching between Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
November 16th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in e-pao.net.
New Delhi, November 11 2008:
STATE CHIEF Minister Okram Ibobi along with the Education Minister L Jayantakumar and the Tribal Development Minister DD Thaisii met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at the Prime Minister’s Office here this afternoon in connection with the reservation policy for recruitment of scheduled tribes in Manipur University and opening of a regional centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Manipur.
During the half an hour meeting, Chief Minister Ibobi told the Prime Minister that the Manipur University, which was a State University , became a Central University in the year 2005.The All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) and Manipur University Tribal Students’ Union (MUTSU) had been requesting the Central Government as well as the State Government seeking adoption of the State Government’s reservation policy in matters of recruitment in the Manipur University.
The Chief Minister further stated that based on the population composition of Manipur, the reservation policy of the State Government stipulated 31 pc reservation for Scheduled Tribes and 2 pc for the Scheduled Castes, as against 7.5 pc for Scheduled Tribes and 15 pc for Scheduled Castes in the Central Reservation Policy.
As such, the State Government had recommended to the Central Government the adoption of the State Reservation Policy by the Manipur University as a special dispensation keeping in view of the ethnic composition of Manipur.
O Ibobi also referred to the establishment of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh by a Central Act namely the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University Act 2007.This Act empowered the University to make special provisions for the employment or admission of women, persons with disabilities or of persons belonging to the weaker sections of the society and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes.
The Chief Minister further expressed that Manipur had nine districts; out of which five districts were predominantly inhabited by the tribal communities.
The facilities for imparting education in hill districts were inadequate.
It would help a great deal in promoting education among the tribal communities of the State, if a Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University had been established in one of the hill districts of Manipur.
He demanded for setting up a Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in one of the hill districts of Manipur.
After patient hearing, the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh expressed that the rectification of the Central Reservation Policy required an amendment of the policy and it would take time.
But the Centre would see the possible way to rectify it.
In regards to the opening of a Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Manipur, the Prime Minister nodded enthusiastically at the proposal.
He advised the Union Secretary of Higher Education Shri Rameshwar Pal Agrawal who was also in the meeting asked to sit with the Ministers from Manipur tomorrow at 4 pm for working out the modality for opening of the Centre in Manipur.
Tomorrow, the Manipur Education minister Shri L.Jayantakumar Singh and the Tribal Development Minister Shri D.D.Thaisii will sit with the Union Secretary (Higher Education) Shri R.P.Agrawal at Shastri Bhavan here to chalk out the modality for opening of the Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in one of the hill districts of Manipur.
Following is an excerpt from the report in e-pao.net on the follow-up meeting.
November 13 2008: STATE CHIEF Minister Okram Ibobi and the Education Minister L Jayantakumar on Wednesday met the Union Minister for Human Resources Development Arjun Singh at Shastri Bhawan here to relay the assurance of the Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh made on the previous day for opening of the Manipur campus of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University.
The meeting lasted for about 10 minutes.
In the afternoon at 4 pm on Wednesday at Shastri Bhawan here; the Manipur Education Minister L Jayantakumar, Tribal Development Minister DD Thaisii and students leaders had an hour long discussion with the Union Secretary (Higher Education) RP Agrawal assisted by two Joint Secretaries for formulation of the proposed Manipur campus of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh.
The Union Secretary (Higher Education) informed the Manipur Ministers that the matter regarding the opening of a Regional Centre of the University in Manipur had been communicated to the Vice Chancellor of the University.
An expert group consisting of the representatives of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi had been formed for preparation of Detailed Project Reports of the proposed Centre in Manipur.
RP Agrawal also communicated to them for sending a high level team comprising of representatives from the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University to Manipur very soon to see the suitable location of the Centre.
The Secretary asked the Manipur representatives to find out a suitable location of the area of 500 to 700 acres.
He informed them that the appointment of faculty staff of the Centre would be done on the basis of the all-India norm and as for the admission of the students; it would be based on the ethnic composition of the State.
… The Manipur Tribal Development Minister DD Thaisii said here today that the opening of the regional centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University would have a good opportunity not only for the tribal people of the region but also for the general people in learning different subjects in the University.
The Minister further stated that the proposed regional centre in Manipur would be the first campus of the University.
The Union Secretary told them that the Ministry received many proposals from different States for opening of the branches of the University in their respective States, he added.
Why is not Orissa proposing one such regional center in one of its tribal districts? At the current moment Kandhamala would be an easy sell.
November 14th, 2008
Following is an except from a report in expressbuzz.com.
As per AICTE’s decision, all degree and diploma technical institutes, which have completed four years, can double their students intake without having to augment the existing infrastructure.
In plain words, they can run a second shift because they have facility which are otherwise underutilised.
Going by the current scenario in Orissa, there are approximately 57 private engineering colleges with an approved intake of 22,000 seats in engineering disciplines, 3,000 in MCA classes and another 3,000 for MBA programmes. Then there are diploma institutes.
Of the 57 colleges, about 30 have completed four years and more which means they will be entitled to run the second shift. A conservative estimate would put the number of seats in second shift at 15,000.
The decision has come as a pleasant surprise for the engineering colleges which stand to gain the most.
For the students, it could be mean more opportunities to get an engineering degree.
‘More seats will mean more students can enrol in engineering courses and it is a good news for all those willing to pursue technical education,’ Orissa Private Engineering Colleges Association chairman Binod Dash said.
The existing facilities remain idle in many technical institutes in the State and the second shift would be able to utilise the same.
Addition of 15,000 students would not be a burden for the colleges, Dash said. Moreover, the teaching faculty would stand to gain, he added.
However, addition of 15,000 seats would also mean more work for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Committee which holds the test.
The million dollar question is will the addition benefit technical education? ‘Such a decision has taken me by surprise. It only makes business sense to me,’ said a member of the JEE Committee.
Given the AICTE assumption that existing facilities can be used for second shift means teaching faculty members would have to put in double the work if private institutes choose not to augment their number.
‘If facilities are remaining idle in the technical institutes, we had suggested in the past that the same can be used to train ITI and polytechnic students,’ said the official.
Besides, one of the most important issues will be employability of students who pass out every year.
‘Not many parent would send their wards to general colleges anymore but it remains to be seen how many would get jobs at the end,’ head of an institute said.
The AICTE decision will affect new colleges since more seats will now be available in old and established institutes which may prompt the former to cut down on their fees, another insider said.
November 13th, 2008
The eligibility criteria has been made to discourage multi-year preparation for IIT JEE. To be eligible for IIT JEE 2009 students must NOT have passed their qualifying exam before Oct 1, 2007 and must not have taken admission to an IIT/IT-BHU/ISMU in the past by paying full fees. They must also have secured at least 60% in their qualifying exam. See details at the IIT JEE 2009 sites such as at IIT Guwahati.
November 10th, 2008
The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri area will have 25 universities. Following is a slide on it from my presentation at the Invest India Symposium.
The color coding in the above slides is as follows:
- Red – Central govt funded universities/institutes
- Navy Blue: State govt. funded universities
- Light blue: PPP
- Green: Privately created universities and deemed universities
- Orange: Mention about colleges that are part of various universities
To compare this with the universities in the major metropolitan areas of the US and the state of California, please see:
- Boston: 18 four year colleges and universities in the city and 24 in the surrounding areas, some listed twice as they have campuses in the city as well as in the surrounding areas.
- New York:83 colleges and universities in New York City, not counting the 22 individual colleges of CUNY.
- Los Angeles:
- Chicago: 43 colleges and universities
- California
The reason we use California as a reference point is that the population of California (34,600,463 in 2001) is close to the population of Orissa (2001: 36,804,660).
November 8th, 2008
Update 2: Telegraph also reports on it.
Update: A report in Hindu has some more details. Following are some excerpts:
AIPH is starting with small programmes such as Certificate in Public Health Management. The institute would be located over a 50-acre land near Jatni, on the outskirt of the capital city. Promoters of the institute plan to invest Rs. 15 crores immediately to start the programme with the help of some guest faculties from the USA.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, David J. Ramsay, president of University of Maryland, said “We will build different centres of excellence under the umbrella of AIPH. I have allocated matching funds in our efforts to secure financial support for infrastructure building. Very soon, AIPH will bring US-based faculty and experts to Orissa for teach, training and conducting research.”
AIPH Secretary Pinaki Panigrahi claimed the institute would be the first of its kind as India had 209 medical colleges whereas there was no full-fledged public health school. But in USA there were 129 medical schools and 33 public health institutes, he added. “The institute will prepare workforce to help formulate and implement health programmes in the country,” Dr. Panigrahi said.
The new institute has roped in several Indian-based teaching faculties as well as US-based experts to take forward different specialized programmes in its campus.
Among others AIPH President N. K Ganguly, who was former director-general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), was present on the occasion.
Following is an excerpt from a report in Expressbuzz.com.
With disease burden not showing any signs of decline despite advancement in therapeutic sciences across the world, the focus of public health has shifted to prevention.
The future of a healthy society hinges on securing the populace from afflictions by way of inducing suitable changes in lifestyle and societal atmosphere and also, very importantly, increasing immunity through vaccination, said President of University of Maryland Baltimore, (UMB), USA, David J Ramsey today.
Ramsey told this paper that worldwide, intensive efforts are on to develop vaccines for diseases that have the greatest impact on the population and not on individuals. The UMB has already developed a vaccine for cholera, which is being successfully implemented in South American countries. Progress is being made in the efforts to formulate a vaccine for malaria, AIDS and several other prevalent diseases in the stateof- the-art facility at the University.
But the challenge lies in implementation of the interventions to check outbreaks. Public health is still not considered a different domain from medical or clinical streams in most parts of the world, particularly developing countries including India.‘‘
The realm of public health basically involves collating biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, and social and behavioural sciences so that prevention and treatment initiatives and policies would be well-directed and most effective,’’ the head of the prestigious institute said.
And, in an initiative aimed at strengthening the public health sector in India as well as the sub-continental countries by producing skilled professionals to carry out operational research to develop sustainable health-care delivery models, the Asian Institute of Public Health (AIPH), a partner of UMB, is set to take shape here from Sunday.
The first of its kind institute in the country, with support of the Orissa Government, would offer courses on Public Health Management, Management development programmes on ‘Surveillance, Epidemic Preparedness and Response’, ‘Biostatistics and Research Methodologies’, ‘Biomedical Waste Management and Handling’, ‘Good clinical Practice of Clinical research’ and ‘Emerging issues in public health’. The target scholars would include medical officers, AYUSH doctors, personnel from health agencies, Government health administrators, social scientists, corporate sector managers dealing with health programmes, paramedics, sanitation workers, NGOs, etc. The courses have been designed and be certified by UMB, AIPH secretary Dr Pinaki Panigrahi said.
The above articles do not mention the Indian Institutes of Public Health being built in India, three of which mention that they are offering post-graduate diploma starting fromn the 2008-09 session. Following is an excerpt.
The Indian Institutes of Public Health at Delhi, Gandhinagar, and Hyderabad would be offering the following Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) Programs in the academic year 2008-09:
| IIPH, Delhi: |
PGD in Health Economics and Policy |
| IIPH, Gandhinagar: |
PGD in Public Health Management |
| IIPH, Hyderabad: |
PGD in Biostatistics and Data Management |
If done right the AIPH can surpass the IIPHs, mainly because a well known professor Dr. Pinaki Panigrahi is behind it and his university, The University of Maryland at Baltimore, is an active collaborator on this. The Orissa govt. may take advantage of the AIPH and push for an IIPH next to it. They have discussed with PHFI, but its plan (see here and here) in Orissa is not clear.
Also, note that in the PHFI/IIPH model companies, state and the center (through PHFI) fund the IIPHs. Orissa government should help AIPH in a similar manner: contribute a similar amount, ask companies to contribute and ask the center to contribute. To get an idea of the PPP nature and the amount used to fund IIPH, following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.
Industry leaders came forward to pump in Rs. 30 crore to make Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), an arm of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), commence its first-ever postgraduate diploma course in biostatistics and data management from July this year.
The Union Government through PHFI had sanctioned Rs. 60 crore, while the State Government allotted 43 acres in Rajendranagar and sanctioned Rs. 30 crore for the IIPH. The new governing council assumed charge on Saturday. Addressing a press conference here, G.V. Krishna Reddy, chairman of the governing council, said he, along with G.V. Prasad of Dr. Reddy’s Labs, G. Mallikarjuna Rao of GMR Group, N. Prasad of Matrix Labs, B. Rama Raju of Satyam Group, and SriniRaju of iLabs, would together donate Rs. 30 crore.
November 2nd, 2008
November 2nd, 2008
Following is from the PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=44324.
The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for presenting the South Asian University Bill before the Parliament.
At the 13th SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, Prime Minister proposed the establishment of a South Asian University (SAU) to provide world-class facilities and professional faculty to students and researchers from SAARC member countries. An Inter-governmental Agreement for establishing the SAU was signed at the 14th SAARC Summit in April 2007. The SAARC member states also decided that the University will be established in India.
The establishment of the SAU in India would be the largest visible sign of transformation of SAARC from declaratory to implementation. It will also be the first international university to be set up in India. The University would have branches of learning in other SAARC member states. Its jurisdiction shall extend to whole of India and to campuses and centres established outside India in the SAARC region. It would have full functional autonomy, as per terms and conditions of the Inter-governmental Agreement of April 2007.
The SAARC member states have decided to set up a Project Office for the University that is being funded by India for two years. The Project office will be tasked to acquire land for the University, oversee its construction, draw up charter, byelaws, business plan, governance structure, course curricula etc. the Project office has started functioning on May 7, 2008, with premises identified near Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), appointment of Prof G.K.Chadha, as the CEO, and appointment of experts for the various tasks to assist the CEO, and appointment Directors to the Office of CEO. The Third Meeting of the Inter-governmental Steering Committee on October 20, 2008 will be appointing the Conveners to the Task Forces set up on these subjects.
The President and the Principal Officers would be from SAARC member states. The faculty and students would be mainly drawn from SAARC member states. The University shall grant the necessary diplomas, certificates and degrees, as it determines. It is expected to commence functioning in the second half of 2010, with 5,000 students and a postgraduate academic programme.
At the request of Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi Development Authority will be allotting 100 acres of land for the SAU at Maidan Garhi near Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The cost of the land (approximately Rs 75 crores) would be borne by the Ministry of External Affairs. Contribution on other expenditure would be decided by the SAARC member states at the necessary intergovernmental mechanisms based on the existing participatory approach.
A Draft South Asian University Bill has been finalized in consultation with the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law for development of the legal contours of the University, according to the terms and conditions of the Intergovernmental Agreement, including full functional autonomy, grant of degrees, holding of examinations, collaboration with other universities and certain privileges and immunities for itself and its officials, as accorded to all SAARC bodies, based on the UN Convention on Privileges and Immunities. Ministries of Finance, Home, Human Resource Development, Law, and University Grants Commission have been consulted on it. The Bill will be introduced in the current session in Parliament.
The realization of this prestigious project on schedule would be a visible manifestation of India’s asymmetric commitment to SAARC contributing to SAARC’s transformation to implementation phase.
October 31st, 2008
From the various IIT sites, such as http://www.iitg.ernet.in/jee/.
October 30th, 2008
Following is from http://164.100.24.209/newls/textofdebatedetail.aspx?sdate=10/23/2008.
शà¥à¤°à¥€ राम कृपाल यादव (पटना) : उपाधà¥à¤¯à¤•à¥à¤· महोदय, मैं आपके माधà¥à¤¯à¤® से माननीय सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤¸à¥à¤¥à¥à¤¯ मंतà¥à¤°à¥€ जी का धà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨ आकरà¥à¤·à¤¿à¤¤ करना चाहता हूं। पूरे देश में छह अखिल à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤à¥€à¤¯ अनà¥à¤¸à¤‚धान संसà¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤¨ (à¤à¤®à¥à¤¸) खोलने की बात हà¥à¤ˆ थी। मेरे संसदीय कà¥à¤·à¥‡à¤¤à¥à¤° पटना में à¤à¥€ à¤à¤®à¥à¤¸ खोलने की बात कही गई थी। दà¥à¤°à¥à¤à¤¾à¤—à¥à¤¯à¤ªà¥‚रà¥à¤£ सà¥à¤¥à¤¿à¤¤à¤¿ है कि लगà¤à¤— पांच साल पहले इसका काम शà¥à¤°à¥‚ हà¥à¤† था, लेकिन आज तक केवल चाहरदीवारी का ही निरà¥à¤®à¤¾à¤£ हà¥à¤† है। शिलानà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¸ के समय à¤à¤®à¥à¤¸ को कारà¥à¤¯à¤°à¥‚प में शà¥à¤°à¥‚ करने के लिठवरà¥à¤· 2009 तक का समय रखा गया था। बिहार में कोई à¤à¥€ उतà¥à¤•à¥ƒà¤·à¥à¤ असà¥à¤ªà¤¤à¤¾à¤² नहीं है। इस कारण दिलà¥à¤²à¥€ के à¤à¤®à¥à¤¸ असà¥à¤ªà¤¤à¤¾à¤² में 60 परसेंट बिहार के लोग अपना इलाज करवाने आते हैं। बिहार में गरीबी है, फटेहाली है इस कारण कई लोग इलाज कराने के लिठदिलà¥à¤²à¥€ आ à¤à¥€ नहीं पाते हैं। बिहार के लोगों को सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤¸à¥à¤¥à¥à¤¯ लाठलेने के लिठबहà¥à¤¤ दिकà¥à¤•à¤¤à¥‹à¤‚ का सामना करना पड़ता है। अगर बिहार में à¤à¤®à¥à¤¸ असà¥à¤ªà¤¤à¤¾à¤² खà¥à¤² जाà¤à¤—ा, तो न सिरà¥à¤« बिहार के लोगों को, बलà¥à¤•à¤¿ बिहार से सटे नेपाल, असम तथा आसपास के इलाकों के लोग à¤à¥€ लाà¤à¤¾à¤‚वित हो सकेंगे। कई बार हमने सदन के माधà¥à¤¯à¤® से माननीय मंतà¥à¤°à¥€ जी का धà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨ आकरà¥à¤·à¤¿à¤¤ कराया है। आशà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤¸à¤¨ मिलने के बावजूद à¤à¥€ आज तक इस बारे में तेज रफà¥à¤¤à¤¾à¤° से काम नहीं हो रहा है। पता नहीं यह काम कितने वरà¥à¤·à¥‹à¤‚ में पूरा होगा।
उपाधà¥à¤¯à¤•à¥à¤· महोदय : आपने अपनी बात कह दी है। अब आप समापà¥à¤¤ कीजिà¤à¥¤ You are now repeating the same thing.
शà¥à¤°à¥€ राम कृपाल यादव (पटना) : कई लोगों के पास दिलà¥à¤²à¥€ इलाज के लिठआने के लिठà¤à¤¾à¤¡à¤¼à¥‡ के पैसे नहीं होते हैं। मंतà¥à¤°à¥€ जी यहां बैठे हैं, मैं आपके माधà¥à¤¯à¤® से माननीय मंतà¥à¤°à¥€ जी से कहना चाहता हूं कि वे इस बारे में उतà¥à¤¤à¤° दें कि कब से काम शà¥à¤°à¥‚ होगा और कब काम खतà¥à¤® होगा। बिहार जैसे गरीब देश में लोगों को इलाज कराने में बहà¥à¤¤ परेशानी होती है।
SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Sir, hon. Minister is here. He should reply not only to the hon. Member’s question but other questions also. I have asked a number of questions.
MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: I cannot compel the Minister to reply.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. ANBUMANI RAMADOSS): Sir, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana the Government of India intends to start six new AIIMS like institutions in States like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh. The CCA had given approval only in 2006. Since then we have been going through a lot of process. One tender was un-responsive. Another tender was a single bidder. We had to go through the project management consultants. In all we have to go through a lot of process and there was a delay. I accept the responsibility for delay on part of my Ministry. Nevertheless, I had again asked them to quicken the process. Finally, I could say that the construction work has started in five out of six AIIMS like institutions, including Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan. Except Bhopal, work at other five sites has already begun and at Bhopal the work will start in the beginning of November.
I categorically assure that the work has started and the entire construction work will be over in another two-and-a-half to three years and it will be fully functional. Not only that, we also want to upgrade some more institutions in Northern part of the country. We have added some more institutions, which again after getting the approval we will inform the hon. House.
SHRI J.M. AARON RASHID (PERIYAKULAM): Sir, since the hon. Minister belongs to Tamil Nadu, he should see to it that Tamil Nadu also has such an institution.
SHRI P.S. GADHAVI (KUTCH): Sir, I would like to raise a very important issue concerning my constituency regarding the development of Jakhau Fishery Harbour Project.… (Interruptions)
शà¥à¤°à¥€ राम कृपाल यादव (पटना) : महोदय, मैं सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤¸à¥à¤¥à¥à¤¯ मंतà¥à¤°à¥€ जी को तमाम राजà¥à¤¯ के लोगों की तरफ से धनà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¾à¤¦ देना चाहता हूं, जिनको इनà¥à¤¹à¥‹à¤‚ने उपहार देने का काम किया है। सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤ˆà¤‚ जी आप à¤à¥€ मंतà¥à¤°à¥€ जी को धनà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¾à¤¦ दे दीजिà¤à¥¤
शà¥à¤°à¥€ खारबेल सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤ˆà¤‚ (बालासोर) : मैं कई बार मंतà¥à¤°à¥€ जी को धनà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¾à¤¦ दे चà¥à¤•à¤¾ हूं।
Orissa should push for the upgradation of MKCG Medical college to the level of an AIIMS.
October 25th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in thaindian.com.
A new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) coming up in Hyderabad will see close Japanese partnership at the post-graduate level in key areas, including setting up of a Japanese-style business management course, and increased funding for purchase of technical and research equipment to make it into an institution of excellence.A working group that has submitted its report for establishing such an institution with Japanese-Indian collaboration said environment and energy, digital communication, design and manufacturing, nano-technology and nano-science, and civil engineering would be fields that would given a fresh thrust.
Former prime minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had set up a working group in August last year to zero in on a new IIT that would see Japanese assistance.
… In addition courses on Japanese-style business management, a key strength of the country’s industry, will also be introduced. While faculty and student exchanges will happen regularly, the premier institute will also set up a Japanese language course for students that could help them find jobs in Japan in the future.
… "Collaboration on the new IIT will be implemented with a long term perspective in mind based on human exchange an joint work. This will be viewed possibly as a ten-year programme,” said a senior official.
October 22nd, 2008
Among the new IITs, IIT Hyderabad has advertised to admit Ph.D students and will start its Ph.D program in 2009. Following is from its announcement at http://www.iith.ac.in/index-curr.php?p=2008Admissions_PhD_Announcement.
Admission to the PhD Programs
Advertisement No.: IITH/2008/Admissions/1
Applications are invited for the session commencing from January 2009 for admission to the Doctor Philosophy (PhD) programs in
(a) Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering;
(b) Sciences: Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics; and
(c) Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS): Languages, Psychology, Economics, and Management.
Minimum Qualifications
(a) Engineering: M.Tech./M.E./M.Sc.(Engineering) degree with first class or equivalent in the respective or allied areas. Candidates with Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology or Master’s degree in Sciences in an allied area with exceptional academic record and possessing a valid GATE score may also apply.
(b) Sciences & HSS: M.Sc./M.A. degree with first class or equivalent in respective or allied areas with a valid GATE/UGC Net/CSIR JRF/NBHM score.
General Information
Financial support (Assistantship/Scholarship) will be provided to all students, who are Indian citizens, enrolled in the Ph.D. program and who do not receive any other form of financial assistance. Sponsored candidates from Government of India R&D Laboratories shall also be considered for Ph.D. Programs; sponsored candidates do not require GATE qualification and will not be paid any scholarship.
Reservation
Reservations will be 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST and 27% for OBC. Also, up to 3% reservation shall apply as per Government of India rules for persons with disability (PD) in each category.
Application form in Pdf Format can be downloaded here.
Application form in Microsoft Word Format can be downloaded here.
PhD Reference Letter form in Pdf click here.
PhD Reference Letter form in Microsoft word click here.
Candidates desirous of applying for more than one program must send separate applications for each program. Applications should be sent on or before 30 October 2008 to:
Professor C.V.R.Murty
Co-Chair, IIT Hyderabad Task Force
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad
Ordnance Factory Campus
Yeddumailaram 502205
Andhra Pradesh, India
eMail: dac@iitm.ac.in or iith@iitm.ac.in
October 16th, 2008
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