Following is an excerpt on this from a report in New Indian Express.
… library now has a fullfledged computer lab with free access to the children. The lab with computer systems donated by international IT major SUN Microsystems would facilitate use of interactive multimedia resources for educational purposes. "It would be fun and learning for the children, making their visits more exciting," said Bakul Foundation (BakulFoundation@yahoogroups.com) secretary Sujit Mohapatra.
On the occasion, Krutibas Biswal of SUN Microsystems said, "It is the first time SUN has donated to an organisation in Orissa. The company is quite impressed with the work Bakul has been doing and decided to support it."
… Started as a small step towards getting a library done through individual contribution under "Donate Books: Build a Library" programme, Bakul has come a long way since inception in April this year.
Today, it is … with over 7,000 books including some of the most interesting educational resources of children available in the world. The library does not charge any money from the children.
October 4th, 2007
Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer. Tathya.in also has a report on this.
… The NIT’s alumni, who are placed in high and respectable places, have raised serious concern over the nomination of the chairman of its Board of Governors. The names recommended by the authorities for the post do not go well with the alumni, who are concerned about the future of the NIT.
The name of a Congress leader of little standing has been recommended by the Government for the top post, revealed Sandip Das Verma, a leading non-resident Oriya (NRO) and an alumnus of NIT. According to sources, Pramod Pradhan, who belongs to the Congress from Rourkela, has been recommended by the Government for the post of chairman along with two other persons.
The sources said three names such as Drona Rath, CMD of MECON and an alumnus of NIT, BN Singh, Managing Director of Rourkela Steel Plant and Pramod Pradhan have been recommended to the President of India. One these names will be picked up for the post.
In his reaction, Das Verma has raised serious doubts over the Government’s sincerity in raising the status of the NIT by recommending the name of a little-known politician for the top post of the premier institution. The NIT’s Board now has two eminent engineers, who are Padmashree and one of them NR Mohanty could have been recommended for the Chairman’s post, said a leading industrialist.
The immediate past chairman was Dr Banshidhar Panda, a top industrialist of the State. Biju Patnaik was also once the chairman of the NIT Board.
October 4th, 2007
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Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer. Tathya.in also reports on this.
It now seems abundantly clear that Orissa is going to miss an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for the second time. While one after another State is receiving the green signal from the Centre for an IIT, Orissa continues to lag behind.
The Centre on Tuesday announced that it would open a Central university and an IIT in Himachal Pradesh. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told me to announce a Central university and an IIT," said Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram at Shimla. The announcements come ahead of the Assembly elections in that State due in February next.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said opening up of a Central university and an Institute of Technology (IIT) would boost the educational standards in his hill State.
Earlier, in the last week of August, Virbhadra Singh had presented a memorandum to set up a Central university and an IIT in Himachal Pradesh to the Minister of Human Resource Development and the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister had announced on August 15 that there would be eight new IITs in the country.
After Manmohan Singh’s announcement, at least Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana approached him to set up IITs in their respective States. Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is yet to finalise whether to ask for up-gradation of an existing engineering college to an IIT or to go in for a new IIT, said sources.
… Unless the Orissa Government takes an early decision, the State will miss the IIT bus once again, said an IITian. And this would seal the fate of the State so far receiving a new Institute of Technology (IIT) in future, he added.
October 4th, 2007