The expert committee report is at http://www.ugc.ac.in/notices/dpr374modelcolleges.html. The list of 374 districts contains 18 districts from Orissa. They are: Malkangiri, Baudh, Kandhamal, Nuapada, Nabrangpur, Gajapati, Koraput, Sonapur, Bargarh, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Anugul, Rayagada, Kendujhar, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal. Of these, Malkangiri and Baudha are in Phase 1 with CPI (colleges per lakh population) below 4, Kandhamal and Nuapada in Phase 2 with CPI 4 to 8, and the rest in Phase 3 with CPI 8.1-12.4.
Following are some excerpts from that report:
The criteria for identification of location within the district may be the following:
a. The college has to be located in an area of the district having no college in the vicinity of 10 km radius.
b. Predominantly rural location where the proportion of rural population in area is higher than the State average
c. A new college as an additional one in the vicinity shall be permitted only if the existing college has more than 1000 students, or there is no separate college for women in the area of 10 km. radius.
d. Accessibility : The location of the college should be such that it is accessible, i.e. reasonably well connected by transport facilities so that the college may serve a larger catchments area.
e. Population density: The proposed college should be located subject to fulfillment of the above-mentioned criteria in locations having higher population density in comparison with other contending locations.
4.1. Non- recurring Budget requirements:
4..1.1. Land : Since the Model colleges are to be established in rural, hilly, forest, tribal and other priority areas as per the criteria already described in chapter.2., a minimum of 10 acres of land need to be provided by the State Government concerned to each of the college in the identified low GER district.
4.1.2. Non recurring infrastructure requirements per college:
4.1.2.1. Academic & administrative buildings (3000 sq.mtrs) : 2.5 crores
4.1.2.2. Campus development : 2.0 crores
4.1.2.3. Hostels for 100 students : 1.0 crores*
4.1.2.4.Teachers’/Non teaching quarters – 20 each; : 2.5 crores
4.1.2.5. Laboratories : 0.2 crore
4.1.2.6. Library : 0.2 crore
4.1.2.7. Computer Centre : 0.2 crore
4.1.2.8. Health centre : 0.1 crore
4.1.2.9. sports facilities : 0.1 crore
4.1.2.10 Miscellaneous : 0.2 crore
Total per College Non-recurring :9.0 Crores.
* the expenditure towards hostel could be sanctioned through the UGC special scheme for “ hostels”. The net Non-recurring requirements would thus be Rs.8.0. crores per college.
4.1.2. Recurring Budget requirement: It would involve the salary requirements for 25 teaching and 25 nonteaching personnel for each college and the college maintenance expenditure of Rs.50.0 lakhs per annum to be provided by the State government concerned.
4.1.4.1. Model I: Fully Government supported Colleges:
Non-Recurring : 100 % by Central Government, while the required land for the colleges has to be provided by the State Govt.
(This pattern of financial support by Central Govt. is necessary to motivate the State Governments to
establish these model colleges in the Low GER districts adhering to the criteria suggested for actual location of these Colleges within the LOW GER districts) Recurring : 100% by the State Government;
September 7th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.
The total land needed for the Rs 15,000-crore university is 6,000 acres. The company has to date acquired 3,155 acres and taken possession of 2256.49 acres, which includes 385.15 acres of government land and 1871.34 acres of private land.
September 4th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in worldsikhnews.com.
“I have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh not to grant central university status to PU,” Badal said on Monday. He said he has revised the decision because of “misgivings in the minds of the intelligentsia,” a shameless euphemism that basically meant that the government had totally misread the people’s sentiments …
Among the Punjab scholars, academicians and public spirited men who opposed the Badal government’s initial decision, said such a move would have adversely affected not only Punjab’s claims overChandigarh but also the university’s commitment to propagation of Punjabi language, culture and tradition.
They said the Punjab Government will no doubt save Rs 16 crore every year but will cause incalculable harm to Punjab.
Some senior academicians and former vice-chancellors formed a ‘Save Panjab University Forum’ and met in Ludhiana’s GGN Khalsa College where former secretary Higher Education, Dr Manmohan Singh, explained the disadvantages of the central takeover of the varsity.
Guru Nanak Dev University former vice-chancellor Dr S.P. Singh said the Panjab University had a closely-knit relationship with Punjabi language, culture and distinct Punjabi identity which would be lost with the Central status.
Punjabi University former vice-chancellor Dr. J.S. Puar averted that Central status to varsity will neither enhance its status nor academic standard. “It would have dwarfed the university by weaning it away from its legitimate heritage.”
Other academicians present were GNDU former pro vice-chancellor Prof Prithipal Singh, Punjab School Education Board secretary Prof J.S. Sidhu and former principals of government colleges and schools. Dr Darshan Singh, aChandigarh based scholar often consulted by the SGPC, also strongly opposed the move.
Some professors from Panjab University tried to gain support of Prof Randhir Singh, the giant among academics in India and a scholar of Marxism, but he refused saying the PU, Chandigarh academics were only interested for their narrow gains of salary and funds, not for any better reason.
As per a report in Indian Express, Punjab would now request the central university to be in Bathinda; the national university is already scheduled to be established in Amritsar.
I think the above has a lesson for Orissa in regards to identifying the location for the announced national university in Bhubaneswar, and whether pushing for an exisiting university in Orissa to become the national university is a good idea or not.
September 3rd, 2008
Earlier we mentioned Bokaro Steel plant agreeing to set up an engineering college and a medical college in Jharkhand. Following is an update on that from a report in Telegraph.
Bokaro Ispat Institute of Medicine at Bokaro General Hospital, which was supposed to start its academic session this year, is still awaiting a nod from the Medical Council of India (MCI).
The college also needs an approval of the board of directors of the Steel authority of India Limited (SAIL) for availing infrastructure of the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL).
… Health minister Bhanu Pratap Shahi had in 2006 promised that he would clear the project within 24 hours if he received any proposal from BSL for setting up a medical college. He had also assured that the college would become functional by 2008. However, the pace of paperwork for setting up the college has raised doubts on whether the academic session would begin even in 2009.
Sources said that MCI had completed its survey of the general hospital, which would be used for training students. It has surveyed other infrastructure that BSL is willing to extend. However, the council has not given its nod yet. …
After getting the approval of the Jharkhand government in November 2007, the managing director of BSL, V.K. Srivastav, had told The Telegraph that he was anxiously waiting for the MCI team’s survey of the hospital, one of the best in eastern India.
To speed up work, the BSL also constituted the Bokaro Educational Trust headed by its executive director Jivesh Mishra. …
September 2nd, 2008