Following are some excerpts from that article.
… The university hospital, which will be built near the Puri-Konark Marine Drive, will be distinctive with its world-class facilities and infrastructure. The hospital will place equal emphasis on patient care, research, and teaching. It will be staffed by renowned doctors from India and abroad. …
Commending this initiative, eminent Indian cardiologist Dr KP Misra, said, "The hospital will serve as a regional hub for critical specialties including cardiology and diabetology. As a teaching and research hospital, it will attract leading researchers and specialists in medical science from around the globe. The university’s research agenda will prioritise public health solutions that address the most prevalent medical issues in the region."
On the occasion of the launch of the Vedanta University hospital project, a national seminar on ‘Optimum Medical Education and Ethics in Clinical Practice’ was organised at Bhubaneswar. The national conference was addressed by leaders in medical science of international repute, including Padma Vibhushan Professor MS Valiathan and Padma Bhushan Professor NK Ganguly.
The conceptual planning and design of the hospital has been prepared by the leading US-based hospital design firm Perkins + Will, which has previously designed state-of-the-art teaching and research hospitals at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of California at Los Angeles.
"The 500-bed multi-specialty hospital will commence during the first phase of the University. Orders for construction have already been placed with Larsen & Toubro Limited," added Sanjeev Anand Zutshi, Director of the project. The university has already initiated research programmes with local relevance. Dr Dipika Mohanty, a recipient of the Biju Patnaik award for Excellence in Science and Technology, has begun a Vedanta University-sponsored research project on interventions that can address the disproportionate prevalence of anemia in infants and children of Orissa.
The Vedanta University Hospital is a cornerstone of the institution’s larger commitment to serving public needs. Students and faculty across disciplines will be encouraged to engage with local challenges, search for solutions that contribute to the development of Orissa, and pursue research priorities that have real impact on the lives of people. In addition to initiatives in medicine, the first phase of the University will include schools of education, arts & sciences, engineering, management, and nursing. The hospital and initial academic programs will begin in 2011.
June 12th, 2009
Following is from http://www.cse.iitd.ernet.in/~jalote/misc/phd_surveyIITK-D-B.pdf linked from Prof. Pankaj Jalote’s home page at IIT Delhi.
Based on the above survey, a simple way to build a private top quality university in India is to pay more than twice the amount that is paid to faculty at IITs/IISERs/NISER (starting with 100K/month to assistant professors) and to pay Rs 40K/month to Ph.D students. These Ph.D students may be asked to help in teaching as teaching assistants in US universities do. That way many top undergraduates will pursue Ph.D in this institute and by paying more than twice to the faculty the institution can attract top faculty. This could be a a data point for Vedanta University.
June 12th, 2009
Update on 27th April 2011: The Central University location has been changed to Bander Sindri near Ajmer and only 80 kms from Jaipur. The Innovation University (previsouly referred to as National University) aiming for world class is now pushed for Jaipur. [Times of India]
The panel set up by the CM of Rajsthan has picked the following places to recommend to the central government for the various national institutes and universities coming up in Rajasthan. (From a Times of India report and another Times of India report)
- IIT : Jodhpur
- IIM: Udaipur
- National University aiming for world-class: Ajmer
- Central university: Bikaner.
The committee also recommended:
- a "futuristic" heritage conservation and museology centre in Jaipur
- an institute of Food Technology in Hadoti region of Kota
Currently the following national institutions exisit or are being made in the following places in Rajasthan:
- NIT: Jaipur
- LNMIT (private but top-notch): Jaipur
- National law School: Jodhpur
- AIIMS-like institution (being made): Jodhpur
The institutions are nicely distributed between various cities of Rajsthan, although people of Jaipur and Kota are not happy. The population of these locations are:
- Jaipur (World Gazetteer 2009): 3.1 million (has inetrnational air connectivity)
- Jodhpur (World Gazetteer 2009): 988K – (332 kms from Jaipur; has air connectivity)
- Udaipur (World Gazetteer 2009): 457K – (400 kms from Jaipur; has air connectivity)
- Ajmer (World Gazetteer 2009): 604.7K – (131 kms from Jaipur)
- Bikaner (World Gazetteer 2009): 624.6K – (321 kms from Jaipur)
- Kota (World Gazetteer 2009): 823 K (242 kms from Jaipur)
In contrast in Orissa the distribution of national institutions are more Bhubaneswar centric. Following is the status:
- IIT: Bhubaneswar
- NISER: Bhubaneswar
- AIIMS-like (being made) : Bhubaneswar
- National Law University: Cuttack (part of Bhubaneswar metroplex)
- IIIT (state-funded) : Bhubaneswar
- National University aiming to be world class: Bhubaneswar
- Vedanta University (private): Puri
- NIT: Rourkela
- Central University: Koraput
- IIIT (centrally funded): state wants it in Berhampur; center has identified as Bhubaneswar
Unfortunately, one of the reason given behind the above selection is the lack of connectivity and the size of places. Following is some information on that.
- Bhubaneswar (World Gazetteer 2009): 1.67 million (has airport but no inetrnational connectivity)
- Rourkela (World Gazetteer 2009): 551 K (no air connections) – 334 kms from Bhubaneswar
- Berhampur (World Gazetteer 2009): 403 K (no air connections) – 160 kms from Bhubaneswar
- Koraput-Jeypore-Sunabeda: 200K+ (no air connections) – 499 kms from bhubaneswar
- Puri (World Gazetteer 2009): 185K – 60 kms from Bhubaneswar
- Sambalpur (World Gazetteer 2009): 258 K (no air connections) – 321 kms from Bhubaneswar
- Jharsuguda-Belpahar-Brajarajnagar: 200 K (no air connections) – 374 kms from Bhubaneswar; 50 kms from Sambalpur
For the future, following are some of the steps that Orissa government needs to urgently take regarding developing more larger urban areas and having the national institutions more evenly distributed:
- Make sure the centrally funded IIIT is established in Berhampur
- Establish functioing airports in Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Koraput at the earliest
- Push for international flights to Bhubaneswar
- Push for upgradation of UCE Burla (Sambalpur area) to an IIEST (Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology)
- Push for the establishment of a branch of IGNTU (Indira Gandhi National Tribal University) in Phulbani
- Push for the establishment of IIM outside of the Bhubaneswar area
- Push for the establishment of a centrally funded KBK Inst of Engineering and Technology (along the lines of SLIET and ABAGKIET) in Kalahandi or Balangir.
- Push for upgrading another medical college (Berhampur or Sambalpur) to AIIMS level.
- Push for establishing NID in a location outside of Bhubaneswar
- Push for establishing NIPER in a location outside of Bhubaneswar
- Push for a BITS Pilani campus in a location outside of Bhubaneswar
June 12th, 2009
Following is from http://nest.niser.ac.in/nest09impnotice.html.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THE SHORT LISTED CANDIDATES
OF
NEST 2009 EXAMINATION
All the short listed candidates whose names appear in the list have been sent an email asking for the preference to join NISER on or before 30th June, 2009. Alternatively, candidates whose name appears in the list can also download attached consent form and fill it up and send it to NISER on or before 30th June, 2009. If we do not receive the filled consent form from the short listed candidates before 30th June, 2009 it will be assumed that they are not interested in joining NISER or CBS.
The list of selected candidates based on the rank will be announced on the website of NISER on 2nd July, 2009. Selected candidates are requested to deposit the fee (Rs 19650 for General & OBC candidates and Rs 12150 for SC/ST candidates) in terms of a demand draft drawn in favor of "Director NISER" payable at Bhubaneswar before 10th July, 2009. If we do not receive the demand draft before 10th July, 2009, the admission stands cancelled and seat will be allotted to the lower rank candidates in the merit list.
Students claiming admission under reservation (OBC, SC, ST) should produce authentic certificates at the time of admission. Candidates without authentic certificates will not be admitted.
Please note that NISER has only 52 seats (Gen – 31, OBC – 9, SC – 8, ST – 4)
The consent form can be sent by any of the 3 methods given below.
1. direcly fill the online consent form. (will be available shortly)
2. download, fill and send it as mail-attachment to admissions@niser.ac.in or director@niser.ac.in
3. download, fill and FAX it to 0674-2302436
Choose whichever suits you. No need to send repeatedly.
Sd/-
DIRECTOR
June 12th, 2009
Following are some excerpts from the news report in expressbuzz.com.
- The National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, is set to start PhD programmes from December this year.
- … It would be followed by an integrated PhD programme that would commence from August next year.
- … it plans to introduce new streams like Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environment Science and Computer Science by 2013.
- … the institution would move to its own campus at Jatni by 2013
- …. With the campus complete, the NISER would have about 1,000 UG and 700 PhD students along with 250 faculty members and 500 staff.
- … In the next two years, the intake would be 80 which would further go up to 200 in each wing by 2013.
- … Plans are also afoot to introduce a national combined entrance examination for NISER along with IISERs at Trivandrum, Bhopal, Mohali, Kolkata and Pune on the lines of IIT. At present, the IISERs are taking students from the extended merit list of IIT entrance examinations.
- NISER would also, from the next year, adopt one CBSE pattern school in the State to train its students to be absorbed in it for higher studies
Following is an excerpt from a report in Orissadiary.
- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to lay the foundation stone for the new campus of the prestigious National Institute for Science Education and Research (NISER) near here next month. Though the exact date is yet to be finalised, the foundation stone for our own campus is likely to be laid by the Prime Minister by the second week of July, NISER director Prof T K Chandrasekhar told the media persons.
Following are excerpts from a report in Business Standard.
- The total cost of setting up the new campus is Rs 770 crore. Construction work on the new campus is expected to commence by February 2010.
- In the beginning NISER would be affiliated to Homi Bhabha National Institute, a deemed university within the Department of Atomic Energy, for the award of degrees. At a later stage it will seek UGC approval to get the status of a deemed university for awarding degrees on its own.
June 12th, 2009