NID Ahmedabad will help Orissa in creating a state design center
New indian Express reports that National Institute of Design at Ahmedabad will help Orissa in the creation of a SIDC (State Initiative Design Center).
February 18th, 2007
Vedanta University is courting some top-notch people
I am told that Vedanta University is after some top-notch people. Until their names are formally announced we can not name them here. All we can say at this point is that the people whose names are doing the round have top-notch credentials and one of them is known Inida wide.
February 18th, 2007
Dr. Digambara Patra on lack of state funded higher education institutions in undivided Kalahandi, Balangir and Boudha-Kandhamal districts.
Tathya.in has an article titled “Kalahandi Crying for Center of Higher Learning” which reports on Dr. Digambara Patra’s concerns. Following are some paragraphs from Dr. Patra’s recent mail to a newsgroup.
… Instead of looking at 30 districts, first the state government should focus on 13 undivided districts as there are still imbalances (I had made a table earlier on this
Continue Reading February 8th, 2007
Dismal state of technical education and state funded education in Orissa
Purna Mishra has created a 19 page document on the dismal status of technical education in Orissa. Commenting on that Dr. Sri Gopal Mohanty discusses below the dismal state of state funded education in Orissa. This is what he has to say:
Continue Reading February 8th, 2007
Looking for the lost keys under the street lamp: Why central universities in backward/tribal district clusters make sense?
For close to 60 years to help schedule castes and schedule tribes who are severely underrepresented among Indians with higher education degrees, India has had reservations for them in various institutions across the country, usually in places far away from where the target population lives. So far, like Mullah Nasruddin, outside of northeast, India has not strategically established central institutions in places where the target population actually lives.
Continue Reading 1 comment January 20th, 2007
Inititiation of KBK university by state govt? Dr. Digambara Patra, November 15, 2006
… Keeping all these things in mind, if our state government could make a KBK University (from the Biju KBK grant or a separate grant of 100 crores for 3 yrs), it would be easier to convert it to a central university later on, which happened earlier to Institute of Life Sciences, Institute of Physics, Allahabad University and some other North Eastern State Universities. …
Continue Reading 1 comment December 11th, 2006
Bhubaneswar University: Put BJB, RD, CET and Capital Hospital together
All great cities have a university with the same name. In India there is Delhi University, Bombay University, Kolkata Univesrity, Chennai University, Bangalore University, Pune University, Allahabad University, Lucknow University, University of Hyderabad, etc. Now that Bhubaneswar is growing up as a city it needs a university with the same name as the city. (Note that even in Orissa there is Sambalpur University and Berhempur University named after the towns they are in.)
For this one need not start from scratch. BJB College is perhaps the top college in Orissa now. (Ravenshaw, which is now a university, was better in some areas.) R. D. Womens College is also among the top two womens colleges in the state. CET (College of Engineering and Technology) is now preferred over other state engineering colleges.
Continue Reading 16 comments December 11th, 2006
Orphan education fund masterplan for Orissa and India by Dr. Subhas Mohapatra
Dr. Subhas Mohapatra has devloped a masterplan for funding orphan education in Orissa and India on behalf of IAFF (Indo-American Friendship Foundation). His efforts are noble and we hope many readers will contribute and support his effort.
December 10th, 2006
Cabinet approves central universities in Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura and a university in Sikkim
The union cabinet has approved the conversion of Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh to a central university and conversion of Tripura university to a central university. They have also approved the establishment of Sikkim University. Already five of the eight north eastern states, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland have central universities. With central universities in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Sikkim, all eight north eastern states will have central universities.
We sincerely hope that after this the central government will focus on backward district clusters and tribal dominated areas, such as KBK in Orissa, and establish central universities there.
December 8th, 2006
Samaja on Orissa’s request for a central university turned down time and again.
Samaja, in its front page today, lists (page 1, page 2) various requests by Orissa over the years and how they have been turned down by the central government. It gives the letter number of the letter that the Chief minister wrote in Nov 2005 to the center on KBK university and mentions how the idea has been hijacked and a proposal for a tribal university in Amarkantak, Madhya pradesh (the home state of the HRD minister) has been floated.
December 4th, 2006
Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Higher education
Here is an excerpt from his interview with Sekhar Gupta.
• The problem is higher education right now?
Higher education is a problem. What has happened is we suddenly realised that if the economy is now growing at 8 per cent, and could grow at 9 per cent, the skills the economy needs will become a constraint.
(Hat tip to Kamala for pointing me to this interview.)
December 4th, 2006
Letter writing campaign for one of the new IITs and a KBK Central University
Dear all:
A year back we all wrote to the PM and Mrs. Gandhi about the NIS
shifting and our letters significantly contributed in convincing the govt
of India to announce the establishment of NISER.
There is a similar opportunity now and we must not let it go.
The Planning Commission is in the process of making its 11th plan and
there have been news items saying that they plan to include 3 new IITs,
several IIMs, some central universities, etc. in that plan. It is reported that
some HRD officials have said that “We will look at new town and cities
for establishing the centres of excellence.”
Thus the timing is right to demand that one of the new IITs (at an estimated cost
of 4000 crores) be in Orissa and that a central university be established in the KBK area.
Continue Reading December 1st, 2006
Letter to Orissa MPs, politicians and representatives about pursuing an IIT in Orissa and central university in KBK
Dear MPs and BJD/BJP/Congress/CPI/CPI(M)/OGP/etc. leaders of Orissa:
Last year you took up the case of the National Institute of Science
and met the prime minister about it and it had a huge impact.
We have embarked on a campaign to have one of the new IITs in Orissa
and have a central university in the KBK region. We have written the
attached letter to the prime minister, the HRD minister, the
minister of tribal affairs, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and the planning
commission.
Continue Reading December 1st, 2006
Letter to the Chief Minister of Orissa about pursuing an IIT in Orissa and central university in KBK
To:
Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister Government of Orissa
Dear Chief Minister of Orissa:
In the past you have championed the cause of the backward districts
of Orissa and fought for the approval of the Vijaywada-Ranchi
highway. You have also augmented the KBK BRGF with the Biju KBK
program and have written an editorial in Indian Express on tribal
welfare.
Continue Reading 12 comments December 1st, 2006
Letter to the prime minister, HRD minister, Tribal Affairs minister with copy to Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Planning Commission members and Chief Minister of Orissa
To:
Dr. Manmohan Singh
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi, India-110011.
Telephone: 91-11-23012312.
Fax: 91-11-23019545/91-11-23016857.
email: pmosb@pmo.nic.in
http://pmindia.nic.in/write.htm
Mr. Arjun Singh
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Government of India Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi-110001
arjuns@sansad.nic.in
Mr. P. R. Kyndiah
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shastri Bhavan,
New Delhi-110001, India.
dirit@tribal.nic.in
cc: Smt. Sonia Gandhi
President: INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
24, Akbar Road, New Delhi 110011 ,
INDIA
TEL : 91-11-23019080
FAX : 91-11-23017047
10janpath@vsnl.net aicc@congress.org.in
Continue Reading 1 comment December 1st, 2006
This is a critical time for pursuing a KBK central University
The planning commission is in the process of making the 11th five
year plan covering 2007-12 and in their approach paper
they have mentioned that they plan to establish several new
institutions.
Continue Reading November 28th, 2006