Newsreports mention that Bharatiya Janashakti’s state unit as well as National Students Union of India (NSUI) have decided on state-wide agitation for the IIT in Orissa cause. Earlier we mentioned how BJD is making it a big issue.
To make sure that the IIT is issue is not just considered as a political thing and not grounded in facts, we who understand why an IIT is desperately needed must take actions from our side.
May 24th, 2007
Dear all:
Thank you for all that you have already done for the IIT in Orissa cause. We are chronicling the efforts and happenings at http://iitorissa.org and http://orissawatch.org
Based on various news reports following is the current situation -in a nutshell-with respect to getting an IIT in Orissa.
1. The media is regularly covering the issue and the general people in streets have become aware of the issue of IIT as well as the central neglect/injustice/discrimination against Orissa. http://iitorissa.org http://orissawatch.org
Continue Reading 1 comment May 21st, 2007
The IIT issue and the associated issue of central government neglect (injustice, discrimination) has become a hot political issue in Orissa. While the BJD and its CM supremo Naveen Patnaik has been discussing it forcefully in its meetings, even in villages; the Congress has been forced to respond. However the response of the Congress is feeble and lacks merit. BJD spokespersons (including MPs) have started mentioning economic blockade such as stopping coal transport and rail movement as a way to make the center take notice of Orissa’s genuine grievances in the HRD arena.
1 comment May 21st, 2007
CALLING ATTENTION
Need to set up an Indian Institute of Technology in Orissa
1408 hours
SHRI BRAJA KISHORE TRIPATHY (PURI): Sir, I call the attention of the Minister of Human Resource Development to the following matter of urgent public importance and request that he may make a statement thereon:
“Need to set up an Indian Institute of Technology in Orissa as proposed in the Eleventh Five Year Plan and agreed to by the Government earlier.â€
Continue Reading 3 comments May 19th, 2007
Dear Readers of this site:
Lalit Patnaik, the working president of Agami Orissa met the CM as well as minister Chandrasekhar Sahu. They both highly appreciated what we common people have been doing on the IIT issue. They suggested that we should do that even more vigorously. It was conveyed that at the PM level the efforts of common people have a much bigger impact than efforts by party cadres. Hence my appeal to all of you to write or fax letters to the PM and copy it to to the CM as well as minister Chandrasekhar Sahu. Sample copies of letters are available at http://iitorissa.org.
Relevant addresses and fax numbers:
2 comments May 18th, 2007
Sambada has a nice analysis on how Arjun Singh has hoodwinked CM Naveen Patnaik. The main point is that in the Lok sabha one of the HRD minister already said that the MHRD has already sent in its recommendation on the IITs in the 11th plan to the planning commission. So Arjun Singh’s assurance to reconsider when sending his recommendation to the planning commission for the 11th plan does not make any sense. He has already made his recommendation! If he had said he will reconsider MHRD’s decision then it would have made sense. But he did not say that!
Sambada follows up with the above opening with an analysis of how MHRD has been biased against Orissa during the last UPA term. This analysis and a similar analysis by Samaja (both were probably fed by Tathya.in) are based on the initial tabulation of fully MHRD funded marquee institutions in our article “MHRD discriminates against Orissa: You be the judge!”
May 17th, 2007
It has been widely reported [Times of India, Statesman, Telegraph, Pioneer, New Indian Express, Samaja, Pragativadi, Kalinga Times] that the CM met HRD minister Mr. Arjun Singh on the IIT issue and Mr. Singh promised to consider Orissa for an IIT when the 11th is finalized.
However, Mr. Singh’s promise does not mean much. He has made such promises before during the time when the CM met him for NIS. In fact with respect to IIT Kharagpur’s campus in Bhubaneswar Mr. Singh’s meeting with the CM had been reported on September 29 2006 as follows:
The Chief Minister, Orissa, Shri Naveen Patnaik met the Union Minister for Human Resources development, Shri Arjun Singh today to discuss about the establishment of a campus of IIT, Kharagpur in Orissa. Shri Patnaik stated that the Government of Orissa have offered 300 acres of land next to Bhubaneswar city for setting up the campus and the State Government is fully committed to provide all necessary assistance for the institution. Since Orissa is fast emerging as a hub for industrial activities, an institution of the stature of IIT will provide the much needed boost to the efforts of the Government in providing support to these industries. The Union Minister, Shri Arjun Singh stated that the Central Government is positively inclined for setting up such an institution soon.
Similarly, with respect to KBK Central University Mr. Singh’s meeting with the CM had been reported on October 24 2005 as follows:
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, Oct. 24. — Chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik today urged the Centre to accord approval for a central university in the undivided Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi (KBK) districts, besides expediting setting up the proposed Regional Centre of Studies in Integrated Sciences at Bhubaneswar. These requests were made by the Chief minister during his meeting with the Union Human Resources Development minister Mr Arjun Singh at New Delhi today. Mr Singh sought a formal proposal from the state government for the establishment of a central university in KBK region while appreciating the rationale behind the idea, said an official release.
So we should not get lulled by Mr. Singh saying that he will consider. We need to put pressure on him from all sides to actually grant an IIT for Orissa.
3 comments May 16th, 2007
Orissa Minister of Tourism and IT Surya Patra talks to journalists about central apathy and specifically lays out what happened with respect to the IIT shifting as well as cancellation of the plans to establish a branch campus of IIT Kharagpur in Orissa. This is reported in major papers in Orissa: Dharitri, Samaja [1,2], Sambada, Pragtivadi, Statesman etc. In Samaja it is a front-page headline.
Samaja also has an article with a picture on the protest organized by BJD in regards to the IIT issue.
May 15th, 2007
Samaja reports on couple of IIT related protest meetings in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar; one is in Cuttack by CPI-M and the other in Bhubaneswar by the association of engineers.
Similarly Telegraph reports that the youth wing of BJD announced to launch a state-wide stir against UPA apathy, especially in regards to the IIT issue.
But it is somewhat funny that the AICC general secretary has been reported in Statesman to say that his party (i.e., Congress) had been pressing for establishment of an IIT in Orissa. It begs the question what he means by “his party.” Why then the Congress MPs did not join the protest by Orissa MPs in the parliament?
May 15th, 2007
May 13th, 2007
Various news outlets report that the CM has written to the PM again on the IIT issue. [Statesman, India eNews, New Kerala,New Indian Express, Kalinga Times, India Edu news.net,Dharitri, Samaja, Sambada, Pragativadi]
Following are some quotes of what the CM is supposed to have written.
May 12th, 2007
IIT and irrigation projects are not either-or propositions
Dear Tathagata babu:
In regards to your yesterday’s editorial, having higher education institutions like IITs and having irrigation projects are not either-or propositions. Andhra is pursuing both and as a result they have one new IIT, two more of its institutes are being upgraded to IIT clones, a new Birla institute of Technology and at the same time they are also pursuing irrigation projects. They are also building a world class airport (see pictures at http://www.newhyderabadairport.com/information/photos.html http://www.newhyderabadairport.com/information/live_footage.html )
However, your point to not forget others is an important one.
I do believe that the current Naveen Patnaik government has not forgotten that and the Biju KBK jojana and Gopabandhu Jojana are examples of that. But there is always need for more to be done. So please pursue irrigation projects and other projects with all vigor.
best regards
Chitta
May 11th, 2007
During the last two days there have been many developments on the IIT in Orissa front. Following is a quick summary of them.
May 10th, 2007
Dharitri reports that the minister answering the no call motion had said that upon the advice of the scientific advisory committee an IIT is to be established in “Orissa”, but then she corrected herself and said “Bihar”. More interstingly, she also said that Minister Fatmi never said that an IIT will be established in Orissa. However, Minister Mr. Fatmi was in the Lok Sabha at that time and he was silent even when the Orissa MPs were looking at him for an answer.
3 comments May 10th, 2007
Following is an excerpt from the Indian Express article.
Replying to the calling attention, Minister of State for Human Resources D Purandareswari said … As she proceeded to read out a list of educational institutions in the state that were receiving Central assistance—it was in answer to criticism that the state was being discriminated against—the NDA members began protesting, claiming the assistance was paltry. At this BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra rose to say, “There has been injustice against Orissa,†and led the NDA camp in a walkout.
Two comments:
1. Its laughable that the minister was reading out educational institutions in Orissa that receive central assistance. Every state has such institutions. What we are talking about is institutions like IIT that are international brands; institutions that are fully funded by MHRD; institutions like IIT, IIM, SPA, IIIT, IISc, IISER and Central Universities.
2. It is significant that the NDA leader of the Lok Sabha led the walk out and said what he said. I hope if and when the NDA comes to power he and other NDA leaders will come to Orissa’s aid and make things more equitable.
1 comment May 10th, 2007
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