Dharitri: BJD calls for economic blockade against center

23 Educational Institutes Announced in the Country, Orissa got None: Samaja

Samaja gives a positive picture on discussion between CM and Mr Arjun Singh

Orissa Minister of Tourism and IT Surya Patra talks about central apathy and IIT shifting

Orissa Minister of Tourism and IT Surya Patra talks to journalists about central apathy and specifically lays out what happened with respect to the IIT shifting as well as cancellation of the plans to establish a branch campus of IIT Kharagpur in Orissa. This is reported in major papers in Orissa: Dharitri, Samaja [1,2], Sambada, Pragtivadi, Statesman etc. In Samaja it is a front-page headline.

Samaja also has an article with a picture on the protest organized by BJD in regards to the IIT issue.

Central Government Ignorance is NOT Bearable

Demontration against shifting of IIT by Katak District BJD

A large demontration against shifting of IIT was held by Katak district BJD unit on 14th May 2007.

Details in PDF

Couple of IIT related protest meetings in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar

Samaja reports on couple of IIT related protest meetings in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar; one is in Cuttack by CPI-M and the other in Bhubaneswar by the association of engineers.

Dharitri: The minister had spoken the truth

Dharitri reports that the minister answering the no call motion had said that upon the advice of teh scientific advisory committee an IIT is to be established in “Orissa”, but then she corrected herself and said “Bihar”. More interstingly, she also said that Minister Fatmi never said that an IIT will be established in Orissa. However, Minister Mr. Fatmi was in the Lok Sabha at that time and he was silent even when the Orissa MPs were looking at him for an answer.

Sambada: BJP does dharana in front of the Rajbhawan

Samaja: Congress in Orissa in a fix about the IIT issue

CM upset on the IIT issue: various news

• Sambada
• Dharitri: 1,2
  

Various news items on MP's dharana on the parliament gate

• Samaja
• Sambada

MP Kharabela Swain demanded for IIT in Orissa in the parliament

Samaja on April 28, 2007 reported that MP Kharabela Swain demanded for an IIT in Orissa during discussion on Science and Technology in the parliament.

Details in PDF

Sambad: Orissa MPs prepares to raise IIT issue in the parliament

Sambad reports Orissa MPs prepare to raise IIT issue in the coming session of parliament.

Details in PDF

Sambada: Why a movement for establishing an IIT?

Sambada Editorial page article(pdf) by Prof. Chitta Baral. (Thanks to Sambada editor and staff for the translation.) The original article in English is available in word and pdf. Tathya.in published it in English with some editorial changes.

Samaja: Why not establish an IIT in Orissa?

Samaja, April 25, 2007 asked the rhetorical question: Why not establish an IIT in Orissa?

It then elaborated on this. It said if Mungerkar report to the planning commission is followed then Orissa is the best place for establishing IIT.

Details in PDF

State would not tolerate step-motherly attitude by the central government while establishing IIT, AIIMS: Samaja

Samaja reports that MP Mr Panda said step motherly attitude by the central government towards Orissa would not be tolerated while establishing new IIT, AIIMS, etc, expanding railway and increasing the coal royality.

Details in PDF

Industry Minister says state will demand for an IIT to the Center: The Samaja

PDF

IIT issue raised by Orissa MPs in the parliament

Dharitri (page1, page 2, page 3, page4, page5, page6, page7) has a nice summary of the various issues raised by Orissa's MPs in the just concluded first phase of the budget session of the parliament. It shows that various MPs raised the IIT in Orissa issue and MHRD's discrimination against Orissa. In particular:

• BJD and BJP MPs gave a notice in the Lok Sabha on this issue, and received acknowledgement from the speaker, but it did not get a chance to be included in the Lok Sabha proceedings. (page1) We hope that they insist that it gets included in the second phase of the parliament session.
• Lok Sabha: MP Mr. Swain raised the IIT issue. (page2)
  
• Lok Sabha: MP Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan raised the IIT issue as well as how MHRD spends much lower in Orissa than in other places. (page3)
• Lok Sabha: MP Ms. Archana Nayak raised the IIT issue. (page6)
  
• Rajya Sabha: MP Mr. Pyarimohan Patnaik raised the IIT issue. (page2)
• Rajya Sabha: MP Mr. Rudranarayan Pani raised the IIT issue. (page 7)
  

However none of the above was in an impactful manner like last year. We hope that in the second phase of the budget session, which starts on April 26th, the Orissa MPs will raise it in a more vocal and more impactful manner.

Sambada and Odisha.com on Agami Orissa March 18 convention (in Oriya)

Sambada and Odisha.com covered this.