KIIT entrance examination ad from Samaja
February 20th, 2008
Status of land acquisition for Vedanta University
Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.
The State Government has so far been provided 1418.10 acre of land to the management of the upcoming Vedanta University near Puri. Out of this 264.27 acre are Government land and the rest 1153.83 acres of land are private land, said Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal.
In response to a question of BJD member Baidhar Mallick, Revenue Minister Samal said 1257 acres of land have been acquired from the 13 mouzas. "Government will acquire another 443.26 acre of government land and 4,288.37 acre of private lands for this purpose," he said. He further informed the House that 707.52 acre of lands and 5545.38 acres of private land private lands are there in the 18 mouza of this area.
February 20th, 2008
IIIT-Bh Announces Admission Results
IIIT Bhubneswar has announced the admission results for its M. Tech. program. Twenty five candidates have been selected for admission and five have been wait-listed. The list of the successful candidates can be found here.
January 31st, 2008
Arjun Singh on Devious mode: Tathya.in
Following is from http://tathya.in/.
It has been proved time and again that Arjun Singh has no love for Orissa.
The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister has always been unkind to the state, which is lagging behind on education front among other states.
And he is nicely talking to Naveen Patnaik and made him feel that the Centre is all out for Orissa to dole out largesse.
Chief Minister Mr.Patnaik and HRD Minister Mr.Singh had a meeting on 24 January at New Delhi.
Mark the words of Mr.Singh:
Orissa had a very good case for setting up a Central University in the KBK region.
There are strong possibilities of setting up of an IIT or IIM in Orissa in view of industrial growth.
Chief Minister returned happy and took no time to issue the Press Release.
But insiders in the MHRD and educationists are reading between the lines.
There are two types of Central Universities (CU).
One is regular CU of which 16 are to be set up in 11th plan with an investment of Rs.300 crore each.
Another World Class Central University (WCCU) of which 14 are to be established during next 5 years with an investment of Rs.1000 crore each.
Mr.Singh is hinting towards the regular CU in KBK with an investment of Rs.300 crore.
But Orissa deserves a WCCU in coastal Orissa and CU in KBK or vice versa as the level of investment in higher education in Orissa is much below than the other major states like Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh.
Similarly Mr.Singh said Orissa deserves an IIT or IIM.
But the state is demanding IIT, IIM and IIIT for last so many years and the Minister HRD is playing hide and sick game over the establishment of these institutions.
In order to establish an IIT, MHRD spends Rs.1000 crore and for an IIM it provides Rs.150-200 crore.
To be very frank, Mr.Singh is fooling the state so far setting up the higher institutions of learning in the state, alleged a senior mandarin.
And the pathetic part of the story is we believe him, which will end up in receiving pea nuts in the name of largesse of Centre, cautioned … Professor Chitta Baral of Arizona State University.
So the State Government must come out with Vision Document for the Centres of Higher Learning including a WCCU, Cu-KBK, IIT, IIM and IIIT in the state, said Dhirendra Kar, a leading NRO.
These demands to be harped time and again with the UPA Government till it is achieved, said he.
January 25th, 2008
Orissa govt’s press release on the CM meeting the HRD minister; CM’s earlier letter to the PM
Following is from http://rc.orissa.gov.in/index3.asp?linkid=30&sublinkid=320.
Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa met the Union Minister, Human Resource Development Shri Arjun Singh today and requested for setting up of a Greenfield IIT in Orissa during the 11th Five Year Plan period. Since Orissa is on the verge of rapid industrial upsurge not only in the industrial sector but also in technical education sector, the state provides enormous potential for research and development activities. Establishment of an IIT in Orissa will greatly facilitate in intensifying this process, which is of critical importance to make the industry globally competitive. Further, the Chief Minister urged the Union Minister, Human Resource Development for establishment of a Greenfield Indian Institute of Management in Orissa. Given the current industrial boom in Orissa, it is necessary to bring in professional culture and management. The IIT shall be the incubation centre for quality managerial professionals required for the various sectors of the economy.
The Chief Minister also demanded for setting up of a Central University in the KBK region which could educate the youth in traditional and modern disciplines. Since the quality of human resource holds the key to the development of any region, there is an urgent need to set up a top class multi-disciplinary Central University in the KBK Region covering disciplines such as basic sciences, humanities, law, medicine, agriculture, horticulture etc. Besides, the Central University in KBK would also indirectly help in combating left wing extremism in the region.
The Union Minister, HRD indicated that Orissa has a very good case for setting up of a Central University in the KBK region. He added that there is a strong possibility of setting up of an IIT / IIM at Orissa because of the unprecedented industrial growth witnessed by the State. He indicated that decision in this regard will be taken by the Union Government soon.
Comments: There is a big difference between an IIT and an IIM in terms of investment and budgets.
The 7 IITs had a budget of 683.5 crores in 2006-07 and a budget of 1553.70 crores (taking into account the expansion plan) for 2007-08 while the 6 IIMs had a budget of 74 crores in 2006-07 and a budget of 144 crores for 2007-08.
The new IITs are to be made at a cost of 1000 crores each (over a period of 5-7 years) while each IIM will cost 100-150 crore. ( http://www.livemint.com
So we must watch out and make sure that Mr. Arjun Singh and the UPA govt. at the center does not try to cheat Orissa by giving only an IIM.
The state’s first demand is an IIT and only then an IIM. The CM has categorically stated that in his last letter to the PM. (See below)
If Orissa is given only one of them then it is an IIT that has to be given. Otherwise, it will be the UPA govt. and Arjun Singh cheating Orissa.
(Prior to this the CM also wrote to PM in May 2007 and January 31st 2007. The CM also met Arjun Singh on October 24 2005 (press release) on KBK Central University, on September 29 2006 on IIT Kharagpur branch campus and around May 16th 2007 on a greenfield IIT. So this was hist 4th meeting with Arjun Singh on IIT and KBK Central University issues.)
January 24th, 2008
Fakir Mohan University, Balasore has “funded by UGC” tag
It received this tag in 2005. Following is from http://www.fmuniversity.org/index.htm.
The Fakir Mohan University, Vyasa Vihar, Balasore, Orissa was established by the Govt. of Orissa under Section 32 of the Orissa University Act, 1989(Act 5 of 1989)and it was notified vide the Government’s Notification No. 973 dated 3rd July, 1999. The University has also been duly recognized by the UGC Under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act vide the Notification No.F–9–1/2000 (CPP–I) dated 11 Feb.2000 and it is declared eligible to receive Central Financial assistance under sec 12(B) of the UGC Act 1956 vide notification No.F.9-1/2000(CPP-1)dtd-23rd Dec-2005.It has also been accredited by the Association of Indian Universities.
I am told North Orissa University in Baripada also has received this tag. I could not find any documentation of that (in the Internet) though.
2 comments January 24th, 2008
CM meets HRD Minister Arjun Singh on IIT, IIM and KBK Central University
Update: Also covered in other papers (Statesman, Pioneeer, New Indian Express, Pragativadi, etc.) and sites such as odisha.in.
The first report has come out in Kalinga Times. Following is an excerpt.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on Wednesday assured that the Centre would soon take a decision on Orissa government’s demand for the setting up higher institutions of learning in the State.
Orissa had a very good case for setting up of a Central University in the KBK region, Singh indicated when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called on him in New Delhi.
Singh also said that there was a strong possibility of setting up of an IIT/IIM in Orissa in view of the industrial growth being witnessed in the State, according to an official release.
Patnaik demanded for the setting up of an IIT, an IIM and a multi-disciplinary Central university in the KBK region in view of the current industrial boom in the State. An IIT should be established in the State during the 11th Five Year Plan period, he said.
Samaja’ coverage on this is as follows:
January 23rd, 2008
Ravenshaw to have its own FM radio
Following is an excerpt from a report in New Indian Express.
CUTTACK: ‘Good morningggg! Cuttack.
This is 96.0 RavenshawRadio’, would exhort a cheerful, invigorating voice gently nudging denizens out of their sleep – in a few months time.
The first campus radio of the State has begun to take shape at the Ravenshaw University and would go on air before the start of the next academic session.
Basically, a campus radio with community content, the FM service would have a coverage area from 7 to 10 km reaching out to the entire population of the Millennium City.
The radio station would be a fully student-run entity, under supervision of faculty members, broadcasting programmes not confined to education only but on diverse topics related to the community and Cuttack City. ‘It would be essentially an infotainment bouquet.
The students would be doing programmes on studies, campus news as well as other social issues, information on developments and happenings in the city, cultural events along with transmitting entertainment content like music. The students would conceptualise, produce the content and host, jockey, report and newsread,’ said Vice-Chancellor Devdas Chotray.
The FM Facility has already obtained the licences from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the project installation would be executed by Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL). Joint General Manager of BECIL J P Nathani and his team are visiting the university on Wednesday in this connection.
The premier college of Orissa would join a few select institutions of the country like Anna University of Chennai, University of Pune, Goa University, IGNOU, Jamia Millia University and Karnataka State Open University in having their own FM radio service. …
9 comments January 23rd, 2008
Centenary of Ravenshaw Chemistry department: a Samaja op-ed by Prof. P. L. Nayak
2 comments January 14th, 2008
CM lays foundation stone for law university
Following is an excerpt from a report in The Statesman.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that law university in Orissa will be one of the best in the country.
Laying a foundation stone of the university at Brajabiharipur, Cuttack near Naraj today, the Chief Minister said that with this a long cherished hope has been fulfilled.
January 7th, 2008
IIIT-Bh admission process is online
From IIIT’s website:
Admission Process:
- Advertisement for Admission to M.Tech programme: 27th Dec 2007
- On Line application: Begins on 27th Dec
- Last date Receipt of DD: 12th Jan
- Entrance Examination: 13th Jan
- Interview:
- Publication of Results:
- Academic Session Begins: Last Week of Jan 2008
The candidates can submit their applications online. Apply ON-LINE to M.Tech(CSE) Programme
The admission bulletin contains more information about the admission process. Following are some excerpts from the bulletin.
Eligibility:
Candidates should possess either or more of the following qualifications:
- B.Tech/B.E from any recognized universities in any discipline
- M.C.A from any recognized university
- M.Sc.(Computer Science)/ M.Sc.(Electronics)/ M.Sc.(Mathematics)/
- M.Sc (Statistics)/ M.Sc. (Physics)
- Any Equivalence of the above ( Recognized by Govt. of India/ Govt. of Orissa )
Entrance test:
The entrance test shall be conducted in two places: Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.
Interview:
Based on the performance in the entrance test, shortlisted candidates will be called for interview at Bhubaneswar.
Final Selection:
The final selection shall be based on the candidates’ performance in the following:
- Performance in the Entrance Test.
- Performance in the interview.
- Career Marks.
December 30th, 2007
IIIT Bhubaneswar hires three more regular faculty and continues looking
As per its web page, IIIT Bhubaneswar has recently hired three new regular faculty. They are:
- Dr. Somnath Tripathy, Ph.D. (IIT, Guwahati)
- Dr. Rakesh Balwantray, Ph. D. (Utkal)
- Prof. Anjali Mohapatra, Continuing Ph. D at Utkal.
With that the regular faculty strength of IIIT Bhubaneswar goes up to 5 with 3 of them having Ph.Ds and the other two pursuing Ph.Ds.
2 comments December 26th, 2007
AICTE approval for increasing the number of students in Rural Management Course in KIIT
Business Standard has a nice article on Kalinga School of Rural Management. Following are some excerpts.
Unlike IRMA, which offers a two-year Post Graduate diploma in Rural Management, KSRM will be able to award an MBA in Rural Management to the first batch of 72 students passing out in 2009 owing to its deemed university status.
The institute has also received the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approval for increasing the number of students from 74 to 100-120 for the second batch of students in 2008.
LK Vaswani, who taught at IRMA for 16 years and is now the director of KSRM, says the new institute retains the IRMA model of building and sustaining a partnership between rural people and committed professional managers.
But according to Vaswani, a key element that separates IRMA from KRSM, is the lack of inhibition towards its students choosing to work with the private sector.
…
“KSRM has decided to avoid taking a sectoral association. We do not believe in having any inhibitions towards the corporate sector considering more and more of them are entering the development sector. In fact, we are associated with the private sector where our students can have hands-on experience in agri-business, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), NGO management, finance and the like,†says Vaswani.He added that in terms of on-the-field education or experiential learning, the institute hopes to surpass all other rural management schools.
For starters, the institute will hold live field training modules for a duration of 12 weeks which will be conducted thrice a year. The first batch of 72 students from 16 states will be asked to go back to their own states and adopt a village where they will work at the grassroot level. Students will also work with KIIT’s tribal school which has 3,000 children studying in its campus.
While IRMA, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top B-schools face a shortage of faculty, KSRM officials say it does not worry them.
Along with seven core rural management faculty members, three of whom are from IRMA, Vaswani says faculty from the KIIT university’s other institutes like school of law, school of management, school of technology, school of social sciences etc. contribute to almost 50 per cent of the teaching load, making it a very healthy student-faculty ratio. Around 15 rural management faculty will be inducted in 2008.
…
The institute has proposed an academic collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to ensure the participation of its students in the government’s ‘Science for Society’ programme in partnership with over 40 NGOs.
December 26th, 2007
IIIT construction to be completed in two years
Following is an excerpt from a report in The Statesman.
IIIT, Bhubaneswar, a state initiative project, similar to ones which have been established in other states since long is expected to meet the growing need for appropriate human resource, one of the crucial factors of IT and ITeS sector. The institute aims to be a world-class institute with an objective to impart higher education and undertake advanced research in the field of Information and Communication Technology.
A completely autonomous institute with full academic autonomy and sustained support from industry, IIIT (Bhubaneswar) shall offer M Tech and Doctoral programme in Computer Science.
The state government has already allotted 23.24 acre at Gothapatna, on the outskirts of the capital city. It has also committed a financial grant of Rs 10 crore towards start up capital expenses and a recurring annual grant of Rs 2 crore for the first three years. It may here be mentioned that the departmentally-related Standing Committee-IV of state assembly has also recommended a provision of further Rs 40 crore for the institute to create full-fledged infrastructure including hostel, residential facilities.
Infosys Technologies Limited has also paid Rs 1 crore for instituting a chair professor. State IT minister Surya Narayan Patro today presided over a review meeting of the progress of the institute. He said construction for the institute will commence soon and will be completed in two years time. It will cost around Rs 48 crore, he said. Mr Patro informed that till such time the institute will function at the Orissa Computer Application Center ( OCAC) building.
The selection process of M Tech programme shall be based on an entrance test, followed by interview. Students of BE/B Tech (any stream), MCA and MSc
(Computer Science/ Electronics /Mathematics/ Physics) are eligible to pursue the course. The students will pay approximately Rs 1 lakh annually besides accommodation and other expenses. Few scholarships to eligible students will be given in the second year of the course.
December 26th, 2007
IIIT Bhubaneswar to begin classes in January
Following is a report from Tathya.in.
The International Institute of Information Technology, Bhubaneswar (IIIT-Bh) is all set to begin classes from January, 2008.
With the AICTE approval in place the world class institution in making will invite applications from the students from the next week, said sources from IIIT-Bh.
AICTE has allotted 25 seats in M.Tech Computer Science and Engineering for the institution.
Normally the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) allows 18 seats in one discipline, where as in case of IIIT-Bh it has been liberal, looking at the list of faculty roped in for the purpose of higher learning.
While Dr.Gopal Krishna Nayak and Professor Ajit Kumar Das have joined as regular faculty, top professors of various international universities have been roped in as Adjunct and Visiting faculty of the IIIT-Bh.
Among the Adjunct and Visiting faculty, Professor Chitta Baral of Arizona State University, Professor Jaydev Mishra of University of Texas, Austin, Professor L N Bhuyan of University of California, Riverside, Professor Sarajua P Mohanty of University of North Texas, Professor Durga Mishra of New Jersey Institute of Technology, Professor Prashant Mohapatra of University of California, Davis, Professor Gautam Das of University of Texas, Arlington and Professor Rabi Mohapatra of University of Texas A & M have joined in IIIT-Bh.
The Adjunct and Visiting faculty will visit the institute regularly and teach the students
These are individuals who love teaching and do it extremely well, said an expert in higher education.
They make themselves available for after-class discussion and devote long hours as advisors and guides to student teams.
The cost will be around Rs.2 lakh for a two year M.Tech degree in IIIT-Bh.
Classes will start in the OCAC Building for the time being till the institution will have its own campus at Gothapatana in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
A 23 acre plot has been allotted to IIIT-Bh and at least Rs.50 crore will be spend in developing the campus, said sources.
From next educational year M.Tech in Information Technology (IT) will be opened, revealed an insider.
1 comment December 23rd, 2007