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

The Army is proposing to set up a full-fledged military hospital at Gopalpur in Ganjam district and upgrade Kalinga School in Bhubaneswar, which is up to Class V, to an Army Public School from next session. The proposal to set up six polyclinics has been agreed in principle by the Government of India and they are going to be functional shortly at Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Puri, Koraput and Ganjam districts. All veterans should get their registration done through respective station headquarters to avail of the diagnostic facilities.

… Orissa will be the first state to have two Sainik Schools after opening of the Sainik School at Sambalpur for the people of Western Orissa. He said 70 acres of land has been identified for the school along the Goshal-Chiplima road and Sainik School Board will visit the place soon. This apart Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, has been given enhanced financial assistance for its upkeep and all existing scholarships have been doubled.

… Revealing that process of identification of 700 acres of land in Jharsuguda or Sundargarh district is on for location of an Army unit keeping in view rail and air connectivity, Jha said ad hoc Station Headquarters to meet the administrative requirements of the veterans in Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Balasore and Gopalpur have been upgraded into fullfledged Station Headquarters.A transit home in Bhubaneswar and a holiday home in Puri for serving soldiers as well as veterans are also on the cards, he added.

Following is from the PIB press release http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=32088.

The Government of India has now extended the Mid Day Meal Scheme to the Upper Primary Stage of Education (classes VI to VIII) in 3479 Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) in 2007-08 and areas across the country from 2008-09. The programme has been extended as per State-wise list of EBBs attached in Annexure- A. The extension to the Upper Primary Stage in EBBs has already become effective from October 01, 2007. About 1.7 crore children at upper primary will be covered.

The Government of India has released the Central assistance to the respective States for extension of Mid-Day Meal programme to upper primary stage. A sum of Rs.7324 Crores was provided in the Budget 2007-08 for the MDM Programme, representing 37% increase over the budget provision for 2006-07. The Expenditure as on 30-09-2007 is Rs.2231.12 Crores (30% of BE) including Rs. 422.94 crores towards cooking cost for upper primary stage. In addition, 3,22,785 MTs of food grain has been allocated to States/UTs for extension of coverage to upper primary stage (Annexure-B).

The Calorific value of the mid day meal has been fixed for upper primary at 700 calories and 20 grams of protein. Foodgrains @ 150 grams per child/ school day for the upper primary stage would be provided.

The cooking cost of mid day meal for upper primary stage at Rs 2.50 per child/school day with the NER States contribution being a minimum of Rs 0.20 per child/school day and for all other States and UTs, the State contribution being Rs 0.50 per child/school day.

Transport Subsidy has been enhanced for eleven Special Category States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir & Uttarakhand) from Rs. 100 per quintal to Rs. 125 per quintal.

The Central assistance to construct kitchen-cum-store in upper primary schools would be provided @ Rs 60,000 per unit, as in the case of primary stage besides, Central assistance for kitchen devices to upper primary schools would be @ Rs 5,000 per school as in the case of primary stage.

The name of Scheme has been changed from ‘National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education’ to ‘National Programme of Mid Day Meals in Schools’.

Following are excerpts from televisionpoint.com’s report.

 Mumbai based Zee Interactive Learning Systems (ZILS) is looking at its child care division, Kidzcare, as a major growth-driver in the years to come. …

Arun Khetan, CEO, ZILS said, “The franchised childcare centres, Kidzcare, are geared to meet the gap in proper existing childcare programmes. We will be setting up a total of 35 Kidzcare centres in this financial year.”

According to Khetan, the demand for these centres is mostly from the IT and BPO crowd. “Thus, the Kidzcare centres will mostly come up in places like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai.”

ZILS has plans to add another 70-75 centres in the next fiscal, while the target by 2011-12 has been set at 500 centres. The company expects Kidzcare to contribute about 25% to its turnover within the next five years. The Kidzcare concept operates on the franchisee model. The cost of setting up each centre ranges between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 45 lakh, not including the premises.

• Burla and Berhampur medical schools seats increased to 150 each (0)
• Fee structure for engineering, MCA, MBA, BDS and Medical announced (2)
• Seat increase in plus 2 science and commerce in many government colleges (0)
• The story of Udaipur library and the man behind it: help needed (0)
• From the AICTE pages: List of approved Pharmacy institutions in Orissa – 2007-08 (July 12 2007) (0)
• From the AICTE pages: List of approved MCA institutions in Orissa – 2007-08 (July 12 2007) (0)
• From the AICTE pages: List of approved MBA institutions in Orissa – 2007-08 (July 12 2007) (0)
• About: Orissa engineering colleges in the AICTE list and their number of seats (July 12 2007) (0)
• Orissa engineering colleges in the AICTE list and their number of seats (July 12 2007) (2)
• More pictures and plan diagrams of proposed Vedanta University (0)
• Management educational opportunities in Rourkela to increase in quality and quantity (0)
• Chandipur PXE gets a national research award (0)
• IIPM School of managemnt, Rourkela: promoted by ICICI and L & T (0)
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ad with statistics (by the central government) (0)
• Lalit Patnaik’s message on Agamee odisha meeting about KBK University (0)
• Orissa JEE counselling time table (1)
• Two articles and a slide show on Vedanta University in the Chronicles of Higher Education (1)
• Existing Central Universities in India: speculations on where the next ones will be and should be (0)
• Education in the 11th plan: higher education working group recommends medical schools in each central university in the north eastern region (0)
• KIIT plans an autism center at KIMS (1)
• Opportunities in retail management and logistics (0)
• Planning Commission: Report of the Oversight Committee to Monitor Implementation of Reservation in Higher Educational Institutions. (0)
• Naveen requests setting up of a jems and jewellery training institute in Ganjam (2)
• Special school for child laborers (0)
• Cultural dimension of education (1)
• Sarva Siksha Abhiyan: EGS (Education Guarantee Scheme) and its follow-up (0)
• Distance Education programs offered by Berhampur University (0)
• SCB got back the 43 seats it had recently lost (0)
• Two central universities per state (0)
• Seven new IIMs, higher salary for professors etc. (0)
• More details on the new and exisiting central universities (0)
• Two more engineering colleges are being established in Bhubaneswar (0)
• Standing up for the backward areas of Orissa and India (0)
• Groups interested in setting up of private universities in Orissa; land provided by Orissa to various universities (0)
• Center plans to ease MCI conditions for opening medical colleges in NRHM states (0)
• Seat reduction at SCB Medical college; CM writes to center (0)
• Orissa AIEEE site updated for 2007 (10)
• Agami Odisha plans a convention on the KBK Central University issue on July 8th (0)
• Sai International establishing a school near Infocity (1)
• Orissa JEE counseling brochure is available now (17)
• Pragativadi: Prof. Gopal Nayak recommended as IIIT Bhubaneswar director (0)
• Ravenshaw University Vice Chancellor’s presentation in Detroit, MI, USA (0)
• BPUT advertises for M.Tech and M.Pharm (6)
• Jobs at Vedanta for B.Sc graduates (1)
• New Indian Express reports on AIIMS branch in Bhubaneswar (1)
• Analyzing the 2004 Orissa JEE student preferences (14)
• Orissa Engineering Colleges in Dataquest Ranking (1)
• Samaja ad: Sponsored courses at Utkal University (0)
• NISER advtertises for teaching positions (3)
• Tathya.in: PM promises IIT for Orissa (Is this for real? ) (2)
• Pioneer and Statesman: Bhubaneswar in the shortlist for one of the 4 new NIDs in the 11th plan (2)

• Some good news on national institutes front
• Letter to SAC-PM on science magnet schools
• XIMB’s forway into satellite based management programs
• Orissa among the bottom in terms of its universities’ performance in civil service exams
• Update on IIIT Bhubaneswar
• Samaja on vocational courses
• Some excerpts from the PM’s address with comments and questions from me
• PM’s address at the 150th anniversary of University of Mumbai: 30 new Central universities to be established
• 2004 data on Orissa JEE and Orissa engineering colleges: can’t understand it completely
• Sambada has opened a school of mass communication and culture through its charitable trust
• RMRC Bhubaneswar will have facility for diagnosis of viral infections
• Sambada: BJD MP Braja Tripathy writes to PM on KBK Central University
• Which University to recommend for central university status?
• Orissa JEE has released additional rankings
• Rejoinder to Mr. Jairam Ramesh’s comments in Bhubaneswar on the IIT Orissa issue
• Which option is better IISER, NIT or IIST and why?
• IIT JEE 2007 Counseling brochure
• Plus two science colleges in Bhubaneswar-Cuttack area
• New Indian Express: Our government will fight for central varsity – Naveen
• Dharitri Editorial: Kendrara ghaitapania (Spousal abuse by center)
• Statesman: Naveen’s missive on varsity in KBK region
• New Indian Express: Orissa feels rejected once again
• Pioneer: Naveen shoots off letter to PM over central varisty in KBK
• Ganjam district has the maximum number of out-of-school students in Orissa
• Higher education vision document in the offing
• Orissatv.com: Center’s decision to shift proposed tribal university to Madhya Pradesh objected – CM says it is another example of center’s negligence
• Statesman: CM demands varisty in KBK region
• Sambada: After IIT Central University in KBK is also out of hand
• Fax campaign against repeated injustice by MHRD
• Dharitri: Hopes dashed on KBK Central University
• Pioneer: Arjun hijacks plans for KBK varisty
• Ex and founding VC of BPUT Prof. Damodar Acharya will be IIT Kharagpur director from July 2007
• Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Madhya Pradesh – Orissa had proposed a similar university in KBK
• Orissa JEE result is out: some links

Following is a roundup on HRD related postings at orissawatch.org.

• Foundation For Excellence (FFE) gave 264 scholarships to students from Orissa
• Orissa engineering colleges in Outlook India ranking
• NISER deadline for submitting application form is extended till June 15 2007
• Chennai B-school in Bhubaneswar and Plan for Insurance University in BBSR
• Specialized government management institutions of Orissa
• Branch changes allowed after first year at NIT Rourkela
• Status of private Medical Colleges in the State
• M.Tech and M.Arch programs in Orissa
• KIIT has approval for 100 Medical (MBBS) and 100 Dentistry (BDS) seats.
• Institutions with Nontraditional programs – a dated list
• Biju Patnaik Film and TV institute advertises for admission into its programs
• Apparently Orissa students are doing well in medical entrance exams
• Tathya: Please no politics over IIT
• Pursuing M. Ed in Orissa
• Ranking of Engineering Colleges in Orissa based on student preferences
• Nursing Schools catch on in Orissa
• TCS recruits 1100 students from Orissa engineering colleges

• Balasore and Baripada lobbying for medical colleges
• One year P.G. Diploma in Banking and Insurance Management: From Utkal University in collaboration with ICICI bank
• Careerpoint claims that 21 out of 55 succeeded in IIT JEE
• A pre-advertisement from Sri Sri University
• Chennai Business School forays into Bhubaneswar
• Sri Sri University project: a powerpoint presentation
• Latest status of WODC related private medical college in Rourkela
• Ads for IIT JEE, AIEEE, Orissa JEE and Medical coaching classes
• Plus two options in Berhampur
• Telegraph writes about progress and obstacles in making the Capital Hospital a medical college
• PM: Each state will have a central university
• Bhubaneswar based Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital get nod for MBBS programme from 2007-08
• Tathya.in has a hard hitting article on the IIT issue that blames the Congress leaders for their ineptitude
• Cabinet approves new scholarship scheme for tribals

Orissawatch.org is where we started from and focused on human resource development and education. We continue to be active that site. Once in a while we will do a round-up of important postings in that site here. Following is the first such round up.

• RFPs for the AIIMS like institute in Bhubaneswar and other places
• Tenders related to NISER Bhubaneswar
• NISER Bhubaneswar brochure and application form
• List of engineering colleges in Orissa
• List of management institutions in Orissa
• List of universities in Orissa
• List of research institutions in Orissa
• Coaching Schools in Bhubaneswar
• XIM plans to roll out new courses in econometrics, financial modelling and regulatory finance.
• Post Class X ads (junior colleges; plus 2 science; plus 2 commerce)