IIM-Ahmedabad Campus to come up in Hydearbad; Orissa should pursue an IIM Calcutta campus in Orissa

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

“The decision to set up IIM-A campus in Hyderabad was taken at a meeting between the board of governors of the institute and state government officials in Ahmedabad recently. The top management institution has now set up a committee to work out further modalities,” state government sources told STOI. Dons in IIM-A confirmed the development to STOI.

The move is said to be highly symbiotic. The 110-acre IIM-A campus is virtually saturated and there is no scope of any further expansion. “The AP government has offered nearly 150 acres of land virtually free of cost or at a nominal amount of Rs one per acre as well as a grant of Rs 100 crore. The seamless campus at Hyderabad would be bigger than the Ahmedabad location and have ultra-modern facilities,” the official said.

According to sources, IIM-A can benefit immensely by having an extension in Hyderabad. “The PGDM — commonly called MBA-course is the brand-building one, but not revenue earning. The institute can generate money only through short-term executive courses and the IT, biotechnology and infrastructure hub that Hyderabad is would attract many to join up,” sources said.

According to sources, reputed faculty from abroad are keen to join the institute and would be motivated by the access that the Hyderabad international airport would provide for them. “IIM-A is the top management institution in the country and Hyderabad is the hub of the emerging economy. Both will tremendously benefit with the setting up of the seamless campus,” officials said.

The YSR Reddy government thought of the seamless IIM-A campus after the Centre made it clear that a new IIM cannot be granted for Hyderabad since it already has an IIT. “And there is no provision for an IIM for Andhra Pradesh in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2013-18) as well. A seamless IIM-A campus would be an extension of the one at Ahmedabad and not another new campus. This way, the Union HRD ministry will also have no objection as it need not give any financial assistance,” said sources.

According to the sources, the IIM-A board of governors were highly appreciative of the facilities that were being offered by the state government for the growth and expansion of the institution. “Their efforts in the last few years to grow including opening a campus in Mumbai came a cropper. Besides, former HRD minister Arjun Singh shot down all the expansion plans of the IIMs. Therefore, the offer from the AP government was welcomed with open arms by IIM-A authorities,” officials said.

Apart from the flagship PGDM course, the seamless campus in Hyderabad would offer a slew of new ones as well as optional courses that the student from Ahmedabad can enlist for a short-term, the sources said.

… The committee set up by the IIM-A authorities is expected to submit its proposals shortly to the board of governors after which the institute will seek a formal approval from the Union HRD ministry.

Orissa should pursue a similar deal with IIM Calcutta for a campus in Orissa.

3 comments August 2nd, 2009

Two government medical college proposals for Balasore? Defence department interested and Orissa government too?

Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.

While one proposal has come from the State Planning and Coordination Department (SPCD), another was offered by the Defence Department. Though these proposals are in the preliminary state as observed by ADM Sribatsa Jena, …

According to sources, the State Planning and Coordination Department has asked the district administration to identify adequate land for setting up the medical college. The district administration also earmarked a land for the purpose at Remuna.

“We have intimated SPCD Secretary Bijay Arora regarding the land position and we have a patch of land adequate enough for the purpose at Remuna. The land was earlier earmarked for setting up a hospital by some private parties, who later abandoned their ideas,” said Jena.

Meanwhile, another inquiry has come from the Defence Department, asking the district administration for feasibility of setting up a medical college in line of the Armed Forces Medical College.

“We received intimation from the Defence headquarters before the general election and we are working towards it. The district Collector will shortly hold a meeting in this regard with the directors of the PXE and ITR,” said Jena claiming the administration is keen to convert the planning into reality.

Notably, the Defence (Army) has begun initiations to establish a training school at Amarda, acquiring land including Rasgobindapur in Mayurbhanj district, besides reviving the British time unused airstrip at the place.

1 comment June 16th, 2009

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

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


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

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

The committee also recommended:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9 comments June 12th, 2009

Some National and Six Regional Institutes of Paramedical Sciences are being established

Following is an excerpt from a report in Expressbuzz.com

Bangalore Medical College and Research Institution (BMCRI) will soon house the Regional Institute of Para-medical Sciences (RIPS), which is aimed at ensuring a steady supply of qualified paramedical staff in the state and across the country.

The proposed RIPS is one of the six such regional training centres proposed by the Centre to augment shortage of men in the health sector.The work on the two National Institute of Para-medical Centres at Najafgarh, Delhi and Chengalpet in Tamil Nadu is going on at brisk pace.The BMRCI already runs six courses in the paramedical discipline. “Once the RIPS starts, about 10 new courses will be introduced.

The institute will have a capacity of 1,000 students and the admission will be through the CET.In the line of IITs, IIMs and AIIMS, these institutions will become a model training institutions for paramedical education in the country.” said,Dr G T Subhash, Dean and Director, BMCRI.“

… According to an official estimated, there is 4.3 million shortage of para-medical staff world-wide with acute shortage in South-East Asian region.According to WHO report India needs to invest at least US$2 billion per annum to for the next six years. India faces a crunch of about 60-70 percent paramedical staffs, as the paramedical education system seems to be unorganised and as such there is no paramedical council and accreditation system. …

Paramedicals are persons trained to assist medical professionals in thediagnosis and treatment of patients. These includes:

● Medical laborotory technologists, blood bank technologists.

● Nurses, skilled birth attendants, operation theatre assistants.

● Radiographers, radiotherapy technologists, perfusion technologists, ECG, EEG and EMG technologists.

● Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, audiology and speech therapists, orthotists/ prosthetists.

● Optometrists, pharmacists, clinical psychologists, pre hospital trauma technicians, dental mechanics, dialysis technologists and medical records technologists.

Besides the above,  a Regional institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences (RIPANS) is already established in Aizawl and one is being tried in Kozhikode, Kerala. Following is an excerpt about the later from a news item in oneindia.in.

 

Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathy today said the government was expecting a formal approval from the Centre for the proposed Regional Institute of Paramedical Sciences(RIPS) at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital within three months.

Talking to reporters here, she said the government had allotted 25 acres of land for the purpose and the expert team, which inspected the site, had expressed satisfaction.

The institute, to be set up at a cost of Rs 90 crore, would conduct 57 new courses, she said and added that the project would be implemented as part of the second anniversary of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government in the state.

Ms Sreemathy said the Health Department would start three nursing colleges in Malampuzha, Uduma and Pallurthy and the government was waiting a formal approval from the Medical Council.

Why is not Orissa pursuing one of these?

2 comments May 7th, 2009

Second NSD Chapter debuts in Bangalore; Four more to come in Kolkata, J & K, Maharashtra and N.East

Following is an excerpt from a report in Deccan Herald.

It is the first NSD chapter to be started outside Delhi. Union Minister of Culture Ambika Soni, after inaugurating the institute at Gurunanak Bhavan, said that the Centre would set up four more chapters of NSD at Kolkata, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and North Eastern states in the coming days.

Because of interest shown by theatre artistes and officers of Karnataka the first chapter of the NSD had been set up in Karnataka at the earliest. The State government had allocated two acres of land to establish the institute. “I request the Government to allow the school to function in Gurunanak Bhavan till the new establishment is ready completely,” she said.

She said that the Ministry of Culture had submitted a proposal on introduction of theatre activities in higher education through National School of Drama. The ministry felt that involvement of students in theatre activities would help increasing richness of culture.

Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao said the Government had allocated two acres of land in Bangalore University campus for NSD. In the next three years the institute would come up in the new locality.

March 15th, 2009

Site visit team for IIT Bhubaneswar concludes their visit; picks Argul

Update: Excerpts from a report in Kalinga Times.

Aragul near Jatni has been finally chosen as the place for setting up of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar.

A four-member Central team sent by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development selected Aragul after visiting four different places.

The team comprised Ashok Thakur, Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development; Damodar Acharya, Director of IIT Kharagpur; A.K. Dey, former Director of IIT Mumbai; and K. Narayan Rao, Secretary of All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

The place selected is 12 km from Bhubaneswar airport by road and four km away from Jatni railway junction.

Following are excerpts from a report in tathya.in.

Ashok Thakur is impressed with Argul.

The Chairman of the Site Selection Committee for the IIT-Bhubaneswar found the site near Jatni a ‘nice’ one.

… The State Government has identified Argul near Jatni and Malipada near Khurda.

Both are in Khurda district.

Secondly Ramdaspur near Naraj and Dampada near Banki in Cuttack district were also identified for the purpose.

Mr.Thakur himself visited Argul on 25 December and expressed satisfaction over the place, said sources.

It is 891 acre of land out of which 500 acres are readily available.

Very near to the Capital city and well connected with rail and road.

Institutions like NISER, various engineering colleges and other institutions are coming up in the near by area.

This place was favored by the State Government for the IIT-Bh as the most suitable one.

It looks very likely that Argul will be chosen for the IIT site. But the others sites would soon come into play; especially for the world class central university (national university).

December 25th, 2008

Orissa government plans a government engineering college in Kalahandi near Bhawanipatna

Following is from tathya.in.

Finally KBK region will have a Government sponsored engineering college.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6 comments December 20th, 2008

Land identified in Koraput for Central University; Branch of IGNTU proposed for Phulbani

The following is from Samaja.

It is high time people of Kalahandi go to the CM for higher education institutes in Kalahandi. In particular they should demand a state university and a centrally funded BPIET (Biju Patnaik Inst of Engineering and Technology) in the line of SLIET and ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury IET.  The people of Kalahandi need to be strategic in terms of what they can get at this time. For example, UCE Burla supporters initially, for several years, were going after a deemed university status. It was going very slowly. Once they switched to demanding for state unitary university status, things happened fast. Similarly, people of Kalahandi should realize that they should not put all their egg in one basket.  IMHO, shifting of the location from Koraput to Kalahandi after the location is announced by the CM and mentioned in the assembly is unlikely, and I hope I am wrong, but a new central university in Kalahandi has a low chance of happening soon. So as a practical matter people of Kalahandi should, for now, ask for a state university and a BPIET. They don’t have to retract their demand for a central university; that can continue.

16 comments December 19th, 2008

Story behind the the ABA Ghani Khan Institute of Engineering and Technology

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

… The human resource development ministry has decided to open nine new NITs instead of 10, replacing the tenth with an institute to be named after A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhury.

The Union cabinet approved the Ghani Khan Choudhary Institute of Engineering and Technology on November 20, allocating Rs 97 crore for the project.

The institute will be based in Malda, the late Congress leader’s bastion.

… a cash-strapped government has quietly decided to scrap one NIT to accommodate the institute named after Choudhury without spending more.

… Unlike the NITs, which have a national character and admit students from across the country, the Ghani Khan Choudhary Institute will primarily cater to local students, sources said.

“It will not be an NIT and will not even be run like one. The idea, pushed by the late Congress leader’s family, was not to have a national institution but a memorial to Choudhury. And that’s what this institute will be,” a source close to HRD minister Arjun Singh said.

… The Ghani Khan Choudhary Institute will not be run by a central law.

Choudhury’s family members, it is learnt, have met Arjun at least twice to urge him to start the institute. A source in the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that it, too, had been petitioned by the family.

…But the HRD ministry, the sources said, decided instead to propose the Ghani Khan Choudhary Institute in place of one NIT.

In 2009 if there is a friendly government in the Center Orissa should try for Biju Patnaik Instutute of Engineering and Technology along the above lines.

2 comments December 17th, 2008

Current TIFR locations

Following is from a TIFR page.

Mumbai Campus Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Homi Bhabha Road,
Mumbai 400 005, India
Tel: ++ 91-22-2278-2000
Fax: ++ 91-22-2280-4610, 2280-4611
e-mail: webmaster@tifr.res.in
National Centres National Centre for Biological Sciences
G.K.V.K. Campus, Bangalore 560 065, India
Tel: ++ 91-80-23666001/02,23666018/19
Fax: ++ 91-80-23636662
e-mail: info@ncbs.res.in

National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
Pune University Campus, Post Bag No. 3
Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007, India
Tel: ++ 91-20-565-7107, 565-1384, 565-1385
Fax: ++ 91-20-565-5149
e-mail: www@ncra.tifr.res.in

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education
Near Anushaktinagar Bus Terminus
V.N. Purav Marg, Mumbai 400 088, India
Tel: ++ 91-22-555-4712, 555-5242, 555-8190
Fax: ++ 91-22-556-6803
e-mail: root@hbcse.tifr.res.in

Field Stations TIFR Centre (Maths)
P.B. No. 6503, Sharada Nagar, Chikkabommasandra
Bangalore 560065, Karnataka, India
Tel: ++ 91-80-6695 3790 -95, 91-80-6695 3702
Fax: ++ 91-80-6695 3799
e-mail: math@math.tifrbng.res.in

Balloon Facility
P.B. No. 5, ECIL P.O., Hyderabad 500 762, India
Tel: ++ 91-40-712-3978
Fax: ++ 91-40-712-3327
e-mail: balloons@satyam.net.in, tifr@hd2.dot.net.in

High Energy Gamma Ray Observatory
Amrak Bunglow, Ravishankar Shukla Marg
Panchmarhi 461 881, India
Tel: ++ 91-7578-52113
Fax: ++ 91-7578-52113
e-mail: hegro2001@mantraonline.com

TIFR Gravitation Laboratory
c/o BARC Seismic Array Station,
Gauribidanur – 561 208, Karnataka, India
Tel:++ 91-8155-82029 (Laboratory)
Tel:++ 91-8155-82126 (Guest House)
Fax: ++ 91-8155-82029

Radio Astronomy Centre, Ooty
P. B. No. 8, Ootacamund – 643001
Tel: (0423) 42032/44049
fax: 0423-42588
e-mail: root@racooty.ernet.in

December 14th, 2008

Centrally funded non-NIT/IIT engineering colleges in various states; need a KBKIET in Kalahandi

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

Andhra Pradesh plans at least one university in each of its 23 districts

Following is an excerpt from a report in expressbuzz.

Detailing the steps being taken to develop the education system in the State, he said a university in each district, five medical colleges across the State, IIT and BITS near Hyderabad and law colleges were being set up.

Orissa should do the same with respect to its undivided 13 districts.

October 28th, 2008

Health Minister’s status report in the Lok Sabha on the AIIMS-like institutes

Following is from http://164.100.24.209/newls/textofdebatedetail.aspx?sdate=10/23/2008.

श्री राम कृपाल यादव (पटना)  :  उपाध्यक्ष महोदय, मैं आपके माध्यम से माननीय स्वास्थ्य मंत्री जी का ध्यान आकर्षित करना चाहता हूं। पूरे देश में छह अखिल भारतीय अनुसंधान संस्थान (एम्स) खोलने की बात हुई थी। मेरे संसदीय क्षेत्र पटना में भी एम्स खोलने की बात कही गई थी। दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण स्थिति है कि लगभग पांच साल पहले इसका काम शुरू हुआ था, लेकिन आज तक केवल चाहरदीवारी का ही निर्माण हुआ है। शिलान्यास के समय एम्स को कार्यरूप में शुरू करने के लिए वर्ष 2009 तक का समय रखा गया था। बिहार में कोई भी उत्कृष्ठ अस्पताल नहीं है। इस कारण दिल्ली के एम्स अस्पताल में 60 परसेंट बिहार के लोग अपना इलाज करवाने आते हैं। बिहार में गरीबी है, फटेहाली है इस कारण कई लोग इलाज कराने के लिए दिल्ली आ भी नहीं पाते हैं। बिहार के लोगों को स्वास्थ्य लाभ लेने के लिए बहुत दिक्कतों का सामना करना पड़ता है। अगर बिहार में एम्स अस्पताल खुल जाएगा, तो न सिर्फ बिहार के लोगों को, बल्कि बिहार से सटे नेपाल, असम तथा आसपास के इलाकों के लोग भी लाभांवित हो सकेंगे। कई बार हमने सदन के माध्यम से माननीय मंत्री जी का ध्यान आकर्षित कराया है। आश्वासन मिलने के बावजूद भी आज तक इस बारे में तेज रफ्तार से काम नहीं हो रहा है। पता नहीं यह काम कितने वर्षों में पूरा होगा।

उपाध्यक्ष महोदय : आपने अपनी बात कह दी है। अब आप समाप्त कीजिए।  You are now repeating the same thing.

श्री राम कृपाल यादव (पटना)  : कई लोगों के पास दिल्ली इलाज के लिए आने के लिए भाड़े के पैसे नहीं होते हैं। मंत्री जी यहां बैठे हैं, मैं आपके माध्यम से माननीय मंत्री जी से कहना चाहता हूं कि वे इस बारे में उत्तर दें कि कब से काम शुरू होगा और कब काम खत्म होगा। बिहार जैसे गरीब देश में लोगों को इलाज कराने में बहुत 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)

श्री राम कृपाल यादव (पटना)  : महोदय, मैं स्वास्थ्य मंत्री जी को तमाम राज्य के लोगों की तरफ से धन्यवाद देना चाहता हूं, जिनको इन्होंने उपहार देने का काम किया है। स्वाईं जी आप भी मंत्री जी को धन्यवाद दे दीजिए।

श्री खारबेल स्वाईं (बालासोर)  : मैं कई बार मंत्री जी को धन्यवाद दे चुका हूं।

Orissa should push for the upgradation of MKCG Medical college to the level of an AIIMS.

1 comment October 25th, 2008

Lok Sabha debate on Maritime University Bill: Orissa MPs make cursory requests for a branch in Orissa

Following are excerpts from http://164.100.24.209/newls/textofdebatedetail.aspx?sdate=10/21/2008.

INDIAN MARITIME UNIVERSITY BILL

1729 hours

THE MINISTER OF SHIPPING, ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI T.R. BAALU):  Sir,  I beg to move:

“That the Bill to establish and incorporate a teaching and affiliating University at the national level to facilitate and promote maritime studies and research and to achieve excellence in areas of marine science and technology, marine environment and other related fields, and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, be taken into consideration.”

 

India has had a long maritime tradition and is the 20th largest maritime country in the world. The single largest contributing factor to this glorious tradition is the presence of a strong, dedicated, efficient and reliable reservoir of officer and ratings of the Merchant Navy in India.  Presently, 27,000 officers and 55,000 ratings are employed on Indian and foreign flag vessels.  The ever-increasing demand of Indian seafarers worldwide is a testament of the quality of education and training received in India.  However, of late, India has been facing a stiff challenge to her position in this regard from countries like Phillippines, China and Bangladesh.  Hence, there is a need to further upgrade our training capacity and capabilities so that India stays ahead of the other nations in this sector and is able to meet the projected global shortage of 27,000 officers by the year 2015.  There is also a need to augment the share of India in the world maritime manpower fleet from the present level of around 6 per cent to[U78]  at least 20 per cent. 

(d3/1730/rbn/sb)[MSOffice79] 

          Further, the 29 per cent share of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries is dwindling rapidly due to lack of interest of their youth in this career and this presents an opportunity that we should exploit to our advantage.  With the growth of the maritime sector in the country such as the port, shipping, ship-building, inland water transport and offshore exploration sectors, the need for development of manpower in new disciplines such as maritime security, maritime law, oceanography, marine insurance, ocean engineering, ship-building and other relevant areas has become imperative.

          To meet the requirement of trained manpower in the merchant maritime fleet under the Indian flag as also foreign flag vessels, the Directorate General of Shipping, Department of Shipping imparts pre-sea and post-sea training in engineering and in the nautical discipline through the Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research, Mumbai, Training Ship Chanakya, Navi Mumbai and the Marine Engineering and Research Institute, Kolkata and Mumbai.  For further strengthening the institutional framework for imparting maritime training in India, the Government decided to establish a Society namely the Indian Institute of Maritime Studies on 6th June, 2002 placing these four Government-run Maritime Institutions within the domain of this Society.  The Government also set up the National Institute of Port Management now renamed as National Maritime Academy, Chennai and Indian Institute of Port Management, Kolkata as registered Societies for capacity building of personnel of port and shipping industry.

          In order to encourage private sector participation in maritime training, the Government of India announced liberalised guidelines in 1997 and as a result, around 125 training institutes have come up in the Government and in the private sector, which impart both pre-sea and post-sea training.  The Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai, recognises the private institutes.

          It has been seen that the present maritime training set up in the country does not ensure uniform standards and is inadequate in terms of its span of academic coverage, and thus it cannot cope with the future growth opportunities.  Hence, there is a need to strengthen its training infrastructure including setting up a university immediately.

          The Committee on Maritime Education and Training set up by the Government in 1991, had recommended the establishment of an autonomous body under an Act of Parliament, to be designated as the Indian Maritime University, to manage, control, supervise, direct and monitor the maritime training institutions, currently running under the Government control.  An Expert Committee was constituted by this Ministry, which inter alia included representatives of the University Grants Commission, to look into the feasibility of the formation of an Indian Maritime University by an Act of Parliament under the aegis of this Ministry, which also strongly recommended the formation of Indian Maritime University.  The Expenditure Reforms Commission in its Ninth Report had also recommended that the IIMS should be given the status of a deemed university or of an Indian Institute of Technology and should become totally autonomous.

          Formation of the IMU will facilitate and promote maritime studies, research and extension work with focus on emerging areas of studies including marine science and technology, marine environment, socio-economic, legal and other related fields, and also to achieve excellence in these and connected fields.  It will promote advanced knowledge by providing institutional and research facilities in such branches of learning as it may deem fit, make provisions for integrated courses in science and other key areas of marine technology and allied disciplines.  As we have a sizeable number of private institutions imparting maritime education and training, the University will standardise the quality of such education and training through affiliation and academic supervision.

          The Government had introduced the Indian Maritime University Bill, 2007 on 13th March, 2007 in the Lok Sabha.  The Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on 19th March, 2007 for examination and report.  The Committee examined the Bill and presented its 132nd Report on IMU Bill, 2007, on 17th April, 2008.  The Government has considered the Report of the hon. Committee and has accepted 24 of their recommendations.

          One of the recommendations of the Committee is that there must be one Maritime University each in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi.  The Government is of the view that, to begin with, establishment of several Universities at the same time would create difficulties.  It would require far greater skilled, human and financial resources than are available and would carry the danger of dilution of input

It would also deny the investment of learning and experience gained from setting up the first University into subsequent Universities.  It would also be administratively premature, as the demand, location and jurisdiction issues would first need to be adequately studied to enable rational investment decisions.   Further, much of the spadework for establishing the Indian Maritime University at Chennai has since been done. Based on the experience gained, the Government will review, at an appropriate stage, the requirement of more Universities and a decision would be taken keeping in view the enabling factors like availability of land, resources, presence of maritime institutes in the region, etc.

          We, therefore, propose to establish the Indian Maritime University in Chennai with campuses in Kolkata, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam by an Act of Parliament.

          The existing seven Government and Government-aided maritime training and research institutes, viz. Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI), Kolkata, Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI), Mumbai, Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research, Mumbai, T.S. Chanakya, Navi Mumbai, National Maritime Academy (NMA), Chennai, Indian Institute of Port Management (IIPM), Kolkata and the National Ship Design and Research Centre (NSDRC), Visakhapatnam will be merged with the IMU.  The employees of the four training institutes under IIMS who will stand transferred to the IMU will have the option to continue on deemed deputation in the IMU on Government terms and conditions and also continue to retain/to be allotted Government residential accommodation on turn and avail of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) facilities till their retirement.  The employees of the NMA, IIPM and NSDRC shall have the option to continue in the IMU on the existing terms and conditions of respective institutes, till their retirement.   All the employees shall also have the alternative option to join the IMU as per the service conditions of the University.

          Sir, with these words, I now move the Indian Maritime University Bill, 2007 for consideration.

1834 hours

SHRI B. MAHTAB (CUTTACK): At the outset, I should say that I welcome the Bill. The Standing Committee has already discussed this and has recommended it to the Government for consideration. I hope that the Minister will reply — while giving his explanation — as to why certain recommendations have not been adhered to. In course of time we will also get the Action Taken Report that the Committee had submitted to the Government. Hence, we will know why certain recommendations have not been accepted. …

There is a need to have a regulator who could look after the standards. The Indian Maritime University in Chennai will have campuses, as has been mentioned in the Bill, in Mumbai, Kolkata and in Vizag. Orissa has been left in between.[r96] 

(q3/1840/kmr/mm)[KMR97] 

          We have an Academy at Paradip for the last 25 years. You can extend a campus to Paradip. Our contention would be, as has been mentioned by my previous speakers, that the attempt should be to build up new universities in this aspect. This is a forward-looking Bill. A Central University may be a light post, a guideline. But attempt should be made by the Government to set up more such universities so that the trainers can also be trained and better faculty members can come in from outside and train our people. Autonomous institutions also should come up.

1843 hours

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Mr. Chairman, Sir,  I appreciate the requirement of setting up of a maritime training set up to develop a strong, dedicated, efficient and reliable reservoir of officers, . I also appreciate the need to bring in maritime technology, environment, legal and other related issues and to facilitate maritime studies and research. …

Lastly, I will appeal to the hon. Minister. Orissa is having a vast coastline; it is having a long maritime tradition. People went right up to Indonesia, Cambodia, and such other countries. So, in future, when he goes in for more and more campuses, will he consider opening up of another campus in Orissa? Thank you very much.


2 comments October 23rd, 2008

State universities needed in Orissa interior districts (Bhawanipatna, Phulbani, Angul and Keonjhar) and Rourkela

In the following figure the red dots indicate where the current universities in Orissa are, including the ones that have been announced, such as the proposed central university in Koraput. As the map illustrates, all the existing and planned universities are in the periphery of the state and the interior districts lack university level higher education opportunities. This needs to be corrected by establishing state universities at the blue marked points: Bhawanipatna, Phulbani, Angul and Keonjhar.  In addition, the Rourkela metropolitan area, the second largest metropolitan area in Orissa,  needs a regular university. Neither BPUT nor NIT Rourkela serve the purpose. Thus a regular university needs to be established in Rourkela.

October 20th, 2008

NID in Bhopal from 2009-10. What happened to the one in Orissa?

Following is an excerpt from the news group http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/designindia/.

Dear Friends,

We are happy to inform you that we are in process of setting up NID Campus in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from next academic year 2009-2010 wherein we plan to start Under Graduate Programmes.

We are looking for Design Educators and Design Managers who are interested in joining hands with NID in this endeavour of institution building, as envisaged in the National Design Policy announced by the Government of India in February 20082007. If this interests you, we would be happy to arrange a meeting with you at NID Heritage Campus, Ahmedabad, R & D Campus, Bangalore or NID – Delhi Centre.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Pradyumna Vyas
Activity Chairperson – Education
National Institute of Design
Ahmedabad – 380 007
Mob: 098985 00033

In Feb 08 200, the Union Cabinet approved the establishment of four new National Institutes of Design. See http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=24647. As per the news items cited in https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/305 one of them was to be in Orissa. I wonder what happened to that.

As per https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/1241, the Orissa government recently (end of July 2008) recommunicated to Delhi about its interest to set up an NID in Orissa.

7 comments October 20th, 2008

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