Odisha HRD

IIT Hyderabad takes the lead in starting Ph.D programs

Among the new IITs, IIT Hyderabad has advertised to admit Ph.D students  and will start its  Ph.D program in 2009.  Following is from its announcement at http://www.iith.ac.in/index-curr.php?p=2008Admissions_PhD_Announcement.

Admission to the PhD Programs

Advertisement No.: IITH/2008/Admissions/1

 

Applications are invited for the session commencing from January 2009 for admission to the Doctor Philosophy (PhD) programs in

(a) Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering;

(b) Sciences: Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics; and

(c) Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS): Languages, Psychology, Economics, and Management.

 

Minimum Qualifications

(a) Engineering: M.Tech./M.E./M.Sc.(Engineering) degree with first class or equivalent in the respective or allied areas. Candidates with Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology or Master’s degree in Sciences in an allied area with exceptional academic record and possessing a valid GATE score may also apply.

(b) Sciences & HSS: M.Sc./M.A. degree with first class or equivalent in respective or allied areas with a valid GATE/UGC Net/CSIR JRF/NBHM score.

 

General Information

Financial support (Assistantship/Scholarship) will be provided to all students, who are Indian citizens, enrolled in the Ph.D. program and who do not receive any other form of financial assistance. Sponsored candidates from Government of India R&D Laboratories shall also be considered for Ph.D. Programs; sponsored candidates do not require GATE qualification and will not be paid any scholarship.

 

Reservation

Reservations will be 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST and 27% for OBC. Also, up to 3% reservation shall apply as per Government of India rules for persons with disability (PD) in each category.

 

Application form in Pdf Format can be downloaded here.
Application form in Microsoft Word Format can be downloaded here.

PhD Reference Letter form in Pdf click here.

PhD Reference Letter form in Microsoft word click here.
Candidates desirous of applying for more than one program must send separate applications for each program. Applications should be sent on or before 30 October 2008 to:

 

          Professor C.V.R.Murty

Co-Chair, IIT Hyderabad Task Force

          Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

          Ordnance Factory Campus

          Yeddumailaram 502205

          Andhra Pradesh, India

eMail: dac@iitm.ac.in or iith@iitm.ac.in

18 comments October 16th, 2008

NISER wiki and NISER’s visiting faculty

NISER has a nice wiki page which has more information than its web page. Browsing through its wiki, especially the faculty list, one gets the impression that NISER has hired some young Ph.Ds as visiting faculty. I guess the visiting faculty position for the young PhDs is like a untenured position and some of them may be offered a full-time position. The current young visiting faculty are:

Physics:

• Sudakshina Prusty, Ph.D IIT Delhi, Post-doc experience at IISc Bangalore
• Subir Mukhopadhyay, Post doctoral Experience at University of Massachusetts; Visiting Research Scientist Experience at Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar
• Prasanjit Samal, Ph.D IIT Kanpur
• Subhashis Bhattacharya, Ph.D

Chemistry:

• Moloy Sarkar, University of Hyderabad
• C. S. Purohit, Ph.D IIT Kanpur
• Sanjib Kar, IIT Bombay, Kyushu University, Hakozaki, Fukuoka, Japan
• Satyanarayan Pal, Ph.D 2003 from University of Hyderabad

Mathematics:

• Deepak K Dalai, Ph.D ISI Kolkata (2006), Post-doctoral Experience INRIA France
• Sanjay Parui, Ph.D ISI Bangalore, Post-doctoral ISI Kolkata (2006)
• Kamal Lochan Patra, Ph.D IIT Kanpur (2008)
• Lingaraj Sahu, Ph.D, ISI Kolkata, ISI Bangalore

Biology:

• Rona Banerjee, PhD 2005, Shah Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata (Note: She had enquired about NISER in Orissalinks in September 2007.)
• Harapriya Mohapatra , University of Delhi, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar
• Rajendra Behera, Post doctoral experience at University of Hyderabad and IISc Bangalore

1 comment October 16th, 2008

TIFR plans campus in Hyderabad

This is an abstract from Times of India.

The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) has decided to set up its campus in the city. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to lay foundation stone for the campus soon. This will be the second campus in the country after Mumbai.

TIFR director Mustansir Barma called on chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on October 12 and presented a proposal to set up the campus during the centenary birth year of its founder Dr Homi J Bhabha.

The TIFR, according to official sources, sought about 210 acres of land at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) for the campus and has projected an investment of over Rs 2,500 crore over a period of 12-15 years.

NOTE: Andhra Pradesh has done excellent in attracting high quality institution of higher learning. Recently it received  IIT, WCCU (National University),  NIPER, SPA, BITS campus (private),  ISM campus (proposed),  and now a new TIFR campus with 2500 crore investment. Central University Hyderabad, IICT, CCMB and DRDO research Lab have already mentained a nationally high standard in their respective field. With all these facilties coming over, Hyderabad would emerge as top center for higher education and research in India. Like Chief Minister of AP, Orissa CM should be proactive in attracting independent institution like TIFR, BARC, DRDO, IISc, BITS etc  to establish campus in Orissa.

1 comment October 15th, 2008

Educational and Research institutes in Hyderabad

Following is an excerpt from an article in merinews.com.

Hyderabad is an important seat of learning in India. The city is home to three central universities, two deemed universities, and six state universities. Among them is the Osmania University, established in 1917, which is the seventh oldest university in India and the third oldest in South India.

 

Important institutions for technical education such as Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, International Institute of Information Technology are located in this city. Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, a well known educational institution in the field of Agriculture is located on the outskirts of the city.

 

Important medical institutions such as the Gandhi Medical College, Osmania Medical College and several other private medical colleges such as Deccan College of Medical Sciences are located in Hyderabad.

The Indian School of Business, a top ranking business school which attracts students from all over the world is at Gachibowli, Hyderabad. Hyderabad Central University, National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Maulana Azad National Urdu University and English and Foreign Languages University are other famous universities in the city.

Hyderabad has various research institutes such as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and ICRISAT. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has research centers in Hyderabad to develop communication and radar systems and for the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Nuclear energy sector has a strong presence with three organisations under the Department of Atomic Energy (India) including the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).

1 comment October 15th, 2008

Vedanta University Project helps farmers

Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.

The Vedanta University Project has launched a new livelihood initiative, SAFAL (Sustainable Action for Farmers’ Livelihood) for the farmers in the periphery of the project area near Puri.

… the initiative has now taken a concrete shape with the formation of 28 farmers’ SHGs involving 500 people from eight villages. The main objective of SAFAL is to divert the farmers from the non-remunerative paddy paradigm and induce them to undertake cash crop cultivation. It will ensure more income for them and hence, a better life. At least 1,500 farmers from 15 villages are going to benefit from it, according to the project management.

SAFAL seeks to include more and more local farmers in its ambit and encourage them to switch over to floriculture, horticulture, nursery, etc, through SHGs. The Vedanta University Project of the Anil Agarwal Foundation will provide all forward and backward linkage support to the SHGs to make the initiative successful.

For this purpose, the project has tied up with ACCESS, a national level NGO, as a technical service provider. ACCESS will impart knowledge and skills on high-yielding cultivation practices to the farmers and be instrumental in arranging any other necessary support including bank credit and market linkage. This is expected to result in a 150 per cent increase in the income of at least 75 per cent of the targeted farmers’ households.

… Giving details of the initiative, GM, PR & CSR, Vedanta University Project, Prashant Hota said, “The success of SAFAL will not only benefit the targeted farmers’ families, it will also motivate people in other villages to adopt similar activities both in farm and non-farm sectors to augment their incomes.”

Project Director Sanjeev Anand Zutshi, Head, Commercial, C Joseph and Deputy Director, Agriculture Range Office, Puri, B N Swain were present at the meeting along with officials of ACCESS, members of newly formed farmers’ SHGs and a number of local villagers.

October 15th, 2008

Ravenshaw to house a regional centre of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)

Following is an excerpt from a report in expressbuzz.com.

 … The only unit of the pioneering institution of cultural diplomacy, furthering revival and strengthening of cultural relations and understanding between India and other countries, in Orissa would open up a sea of opportunities for the artists and performers of the State.

The regional centre would undertake all activities of ICCR at the local level and extend the benefits from providing assistance to the artists to scholarships to students for culture studies.  

Vice-Chancellor Devdas Chotray said the centre would provide the much-needed handle for showcasing the art and culture of Orissa on the global platform.  

Artists from here would be empanelled for the exchange programmes, exhibitions and performances abroad. Students would also be provided with scholarships to undertake culture studies abroad.  

 

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Meanwhile, the university has also applied to the University Grants Commission for starting an Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC) to churn out audio-visual educational programmes for the benefit of the large number of students in remote regions of the State.  

The possibility of the GoI nod is very high and with it Ravenshaw University would become the 18th EMRC in the country. The St. Xavier’s Autonomous College at Kolkata, which has over 22 years of experience in the field, would provide the technological knowhow and attune the infrastructure, faculty and students to the system.  

The centre would be producing educational content meant to take knowledge and learning beyond classrooms, which would be telecast through EDUSAT. With approvals forthcoming, the facility would be up and coming by the year-end, the Vice-Chancellor said.

October 14th, 2008

Ravenshaw to set up “Akshaya Mohanty Centre for Contemporary Music”

Following is an excerpt from a news report in expressbuzz.com.

The initiative envisages establishment of not only one of the richest repository of contemporary music in the country but also offer educational programmes in niche areas relating to it. And, what better way of starting it than by naming it as Akshaya Mohanty Centre for Contemporary Music, after the legendary singer of Orissa. 

The project, in fact, would come up in association with the Akshay Mohanty Foundation (AMF) and entails an investment of Rs 1 crore. Both Ravenshaw University and the foundation would be pooling Rs 50 lakh each. 

 A provisional MoU was signed between the university and foundation here today. As per the agreement, the foundation would prepare a detailed project report on the basis of which work would commence. The music library would be up and running within a year, Vice-Chancellor Devdas Chotray said.  

The library would not only store and archive Oriya contemporary music but also other Indian languages like Hindi along with English, Japanese, African, French, Latin, Deutsch etc. ‘‘It would have listening boxes where students can listen to the music without disturbing each other. We also have proposals to enable community access to one of its kind facility in Orissa,’’ the Vice-Chancellor informed.  

The centre also plans to start Department of Sound and Department of Presentation to offer courses in the areas that are now considered integral parts of music and performance. The Department of Sound would train students in the best studio management and recording practices using the latest technology, while the Department of Presentation would arm the musical performers from singers to musicians to instrumentalists with a riveting stage presence.  

‘‘Today stage presence like proper posture and positioning along with placement of instruments and accessories is deemed a prerequisite at the international-level. The course which would be run by expert faculty drawn from across the country aims at preparing our artistes for the international audience. Further, both the departments would be used by students for in-house productions for Ravenshaw Radio and other performances,’’ he added.

October 13th, 2008

Comparative Data for IITs and NITs during 2007-2008: from the MHRD 2007-08 annual report

2 comments October 12th, 2008

RIEs to offer International Diploma Course in Guidance and Counselling

Following is from a report in Business Standard.

Realising the increasing role of counsellors to guide school students with diligence during tough times, NCERT has decided to change the format of its diploma programme in counselling from next session and raise the seat strength to make it accessible to more aspirants. 

The redesigned programme called International Diploma Course in Guidance and Counselling will now be available through both distance/online as well as face to face modes.     

…  The programme will also be extended to the five Regional Institute of Education (RIEs), situated in Ajmer, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Mysore and Shillong, instead of only in Delhi," sources added. Each centre will have 50 seats each.     

So far, the programme was only being imparted in Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations here in the capital.     

The repackaged course, developed in collaboration with Commonwealth of Learning, Canada, will comprise three phases.     

The first six months would be devoted to guided self learning through distance and online mode, the next three months to intensive face to face training and the remaining period will be focused on internship.     

Classes of the one year programme will start from January next year.     

The course is open for in-service teachers, untrained guidance personnel with a teaching degree and post graduates in psychology, child development and human resource development among others.

5 comments October 10th, 2008

BIT asked to admit students by October 31st; BPUT has to figure out how!

I am told that Bhubaneswar Institute of Technology (BIT) which could not participate in Orissa JEE counseling during August this year due to delayed AICTE approval will be admitting its first batch of students by the end of October 2008. On October 1, the Orissa High Court has issued an order to BPUT for allowing BIT and other six engineering colleges to admit their students by the end of October 2008. Prof. Rabi Mahapatra, Chairman, BIT said the stage is set to start the classes of all the four engineering branches from November 1, 2008. Special efforts are being made to cope up with the BPUT curriculum in the compressed semester time frame.

BIT is promoted by three US based professors (Prof. Rabi Mahapatra, Prof. Prasant Mohapatra and Prof. Laxmi Bhuyan) and several professional from top industries in USA. The vision of this group is to establish a world class Institute in the country. The Govt. of Orissa has keenly supported their efforts to establish a quality technical education. More on BIT can be found by visiting their website at http://www.bit.edu.in.

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I am told that six other exisiting engineering colleges had seat increases which also happened after the Orissa govt.deadline. Students were not admitted against those seats during the last counseling. Now students will also be admitted against those seats.

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The Orissa ggovernment is trying to figure out how to do the above. Watch out this space and http://www.jeeorissa.com/home.asp for any updates on this.

October 9th, 2008

Layout drawings of IIIT Bhubaneswar

Site Plan

Administration Building:

Hostel:

Next phase:

October 9th, 2008

Layout of Parala Maharaj Engineering College, Berhampur

The tender will be opened in October 2008 and the work is required to be completed in 15 months. Following are some layout diagrams.

24 comments October 9th, 2008

Orissa government issues tenders for IIIT, Parala Maharaj Engineering College and Construction Academy

In recent months the Orissa government has issued tenders for two state funded and one PPP based institute:

• IIIT Bhubaneswar: The tender is for construction of administrative and academic building, hostel and external services to be completed in 9 months and at an estimated value of work of Rs 15 crores.
• Parala Maharaj Engineering College in Berhampur: The tender is for construction of the College Building at Berhampur (Sitalapalli), Ground Floor and First Floor, to be completed in 15 months, and at an estimated value of work of Rs 7 crores.
• Construction Academy in Gopalpur, Cuttack: The tender is for construction of Administrative Block (Stilt, Ground & First Floor), to be completed in 18 months, and at an estimated value of work of Rs 5.6 crores.

The tender documents are currently available via http://tendersorissa.gov.in/.

2 comments October 9th, 2008

Centre to send a team to assess proposed IIT sites

Press Trust of India reported the following.

Unhappy with the sites offered by four states for setting up the new IITs, the Centre has decided to make an assessment about the "suitability" of the locations for the elite institutions.

The HRD Ministry has set up a committee, headed by its Additional Secretary Ashok Thakur, which will visit the sites offered by Rajasthan, Orissa, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for inspection.

"The committee will visit and ascertain the suitability of the sites. If they do not give convincing reports, states will be asked to offer new sites," a senior HRD Ministry official told PTI.

The other members of the committee are A K Dey, former director of IIT-Bombay, K Narayan Rao, member secretary of AICTE, and the directors of the IITs who have been given the responsibility of mentoring these institutes.

2 comments October 8th, 2008

Searching the web for recent news on AIIMS-like institute in Bhubaneswar

The following undated item was found in http://mohfw.nic.in/Advtertisementhll.htm.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE

Hindustan Latex Limited, on behalf of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare invites Application for appointment of

EOI for appointment of IT/HIS Consultant

Educational Qualification:          B – Tech in Computer Science/Information System Management/ Electronics & Communication Engineering.

Work Experience:

Essential: 2 years’ experience in designing/implementing Hospital Information System

          Desirable:

a)   Hands on Experience and Skills in networking & communication technology

b)   Experience in preparing users requirement specification (URS) and system requirement specification (SRS) for large multi – speciality hospitals.

c)    Strong trouble-shooting and communication skills, both written and verbal

          Remuneration: Negotiable

          Duration of contract: 12 months.

Duties and Responsibilities:

EOI for appointment of Medical Education Technology consultant

Educational Qualification:

Essential:          MBBS + MD or MS

Desirable:        PhD

Work Experience:

Essential: Minimum 15 years as faculty in a medical College institution with at least 5 years as professor or HOD

Desirable: Experienced in devising study material with help of medical education technology.

Age: Up to 65 years (retired persons below 65 can also apply)

Remuneration: Negotiable

Duration of contract: 12 months.

Brief description of Job Profile:

Government of India, MoH&FW proposed to engage a fulltime Medical Education Technology Consultant for finalizing the curriculum including e-lecturers for the six AIIMS-like institutions being set up at Bhopal, Jodhpur, Rishikesh, Raipur, Bhubaneswar and Patna. Each of the institution would train 100 undergraduates and similar number of PG/PhD students every year. The medical Education consultant will help the Ministry in the curriculum design and training that is appropriate in a state –of-the-art Medical Education, using latest tools of technology. The consultant will indicate best practice to ensure adequate resource pooling and networking between the six AIIMS-like institutions and other existing GOI institutions. The consultant will also provide a road map; work plan to operationalize the preparation of e-lectures for the training of medical students/Doctors.

  The following item was found in http://cga.nic.in/html/BulletinBoard_GroupA.htm.

Interested NFSG/JAG Officers may get further details from

Shri. Sanjeev Mishra, Joint Controller General of Accounts on Phone No.24648254 or Group-A Section on Phone No. 24645814.

Following are excerpts from http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20080913/814/tnl-five-medical-colleges-to-be-upgraded.html.

Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh is expected to announce the "much-awaited" scheme to upgrade Amritsar Medical College under the Pradhan Mantri Swastha Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), Phase II, during his visit to Amritsar starting on September 15.

It is learnt that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who has long been pressing this demand, recently met the PM for this. Amritsar is one of the five medical colleges that the Union Health Ministry has listed for upgradation under Phase II, the others being Aligarh, Nagpur, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, besides two AIIMS-like institutes in Uttar Pradesh and Bengal. "The proposal has gone to the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) and will be soon put before the Cabinet," a senior official told The Indian Express.

… While the cost of upgrading each existing site is Rs 150 crore, the AIIMS-like institutes will require an investment of Rs 750 crore each. For Phase I, meanwhile, one institute each will be set up in the states of Bihar (Patna), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal), Orissa (Bhubaneswar), Rajasthan (Jodhpur),Chhattisgarh (Raipur) and Uttarakhand (Rishikesh).

…

Even though the necessary funds were approved for the Phase I sites in 2004-2005, they are yet to be completed despite the 2008 deadline. Although work on each centre has started, the Government has extended the deadline by two years.

The delay has come at a heavy price. Initially, the approximate expenditure was Rs 280 crore for each institute, but "in March 2006, financial projections were made and it was set at Rs 330 crore each. This is expected to go up to at least Rs 450 crore, as the prices of construction material have gone up," said a senior official in the Health Ministry. Officials blame the poor response of developers to their tenders as a major cause of the setback.

October 7th, 2008

Academicians demand new Central varsities in backward regions

Press Trust of India reported the following.

The proposed 12 new Central universities, which received the Union Cabinet’s nod on Friday, should be set up in backward regions of the respective states to meet the collective aspirations of people, academicians have said.
Such a move would lead to socio-economic integration of the regions and give the traditionally deprived ones a unique opportunity to compete with confidence at the national level, they said.

The new universities will be set up in Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Orissa and Rajasthan.

Teachers in Jarkhand, Orissa and Rajasthan were especially vociferous in their demand for setting up these universities in backward districts, with a professor of Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, stating that such a move would fulfil the long-cherished dream of marginalised people.

"For long, Orissa has been demanding a Central university. Now, that it has got one, it should either come up in Koraput or in the KBK region," he told PTI.

The Orissa government has evinced keen interest to set up the university in Koraput district.

Optimism was also expressed by the teachers about the proposed 374 ‘model colleges’ which would also come up in educationally backward districts of the country.

Teachers’ institute in the states concerned would act as a catalyst in bringing the deprived students to the mainstream education, they said.

October 6th, 2008