TOI: CM Naveen Patnaik talks to Arjun Singh about an IIT

Orissa to have an IIT: Navin Patnaik
16 May, 2007 l 0127 hrs ISTlPTI

NEW DELHI: Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik on Wednesday asked the Centre to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the state as it did not have a single institution of national excellence.

"I met Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh and demanded setting up of an IIT in Orissa as it was a long standing demand of the people of the state," Patnaik said.

He said he had asked Singh to consider setting up an IIT in the coastal state during the 11th Plan period.

The HRD Minister has assured that the demand of the state would be considered while finalising the proposals of his ministry for the current Five Year Plan, he said.

More news reports come on the Parliament walk-out

1. Times of India
2. Hindustan Times
3. Hindu
   
4. Tathya.in
   
5. Kalingatimes.com
6. Statesman
7. Indian Express
8. Sambada,
   
9. Samaja: 1,2,
10. Samaja another article
    
11. Dharitri: 1,2,3,4
    
12. India-e-news
13. Pragativadi

TOI: Govt says no to an IIT in Orissa

NEW DELHI: The government Tuesday ruled out setting up an IIT in Orissa, saying it has already approved three such institutes in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Replying to a Calling Attention Motion moved by MPs from Orissa demanding an Indian Institute of Technology, Minister of State for Human Resource Development D Purandeshwari said the three new IITs were decided on recommendations of the Planning Commission and Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Council.

Raising the issue, Brij Kishore Tripathy (BJD) said the government had initially approved setting up of an IIT in Orissa but later changed the decision.

"Minister of State for HRD Mohd Fatmi had said in August 2006 in Patna that an IIT will be set up in Orissa... then why the decision was changed?" Tripathy asked.

However, Purandeshwari said Fatmi has denied having made such a statement. A new IIT would cost over Rs 1,000 crore, she said adding the government had never decided to set up such an institute in Orissa.

Dissatisfied with her reply, BJP and BJD members staged a walkout.

Besides an IIT, Tripathy demanded an Indian Institute of Management and asked the government to approve a proposal by IIT-Kharagpur to set up an extension campus in Bhubaneswar.

B Mehtab (BJD) said the UPA government has been ignoring Orissa and sought to know how much funds the HRD ministry had spent for higher education in the state.

BJP member Kharbela Swain asked the government what the criteria was for selecting locations for new IITs, while BJD's Prasanna Acharya said with many new industrial projects coming up, Orissa needed an IIT for skilled manpower.

TOI: Opening New IITs

Opening New IITs
Pankaj Jalote and B N Jain

The government recently said that it would open more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). While any move in this direction is welcome, the existing model of wholly state-funded IITs is not amenable to increasing the numbers and enhancing quality.

After the first five IITs which came up three to four decades back, the government has set up only one, in Guwahati. But since the 60s, India's population has doubled and numbers of the educated seeking admission have probably gone up tenfold. Unable to cope, the government started renaming existing institutions as IITs. The key difficulty today in starting an IIT is attracting and retaining good faculty.

To attract quality faculty, we need good students, a vibrant research environment and attractive compensation. Good students are available in plenty in India, at least at the undergraduate level. The challenges lie in the other two areas, and they cannot be met by promoting new IITs exclusively in the government sector due to resource and management constraints in the present model.

In an era of public-private partnerships (PPP), it is worth extending the PPP approach to starting new IITs. Private sector dynamism and long-term social commitment of the government can come together to create quality institutes. A modified BOT (build-operate-transfer) model can be applied here.

...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opening_New_IITs/articleshow/1939900.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/LEADER_ARTICLE_Opening_New_IITs/articleshow/msid-1939900,curpg-2.cms

Three IITs for Andhra, none for Orissa

This news item has appeared in many many places. I hope the Citizens of India understand how the HRD ministry is anti-India and is trying to divide Indians by its partisan and vindictive actions. I hope the cabinet and UPA parties realize their mistake and change course at the earliest.

1. Time of India
2. Hindustan Times
3. IndiaEdunews.net
4. RxPGnews
5. Indiaenews
6. Earthtimes.org
7. Indianmuslims
8. Andhra cafe
9. Mangalorean.com
   

Three IITs for Andhra, none for Orissa: TOI

Three IITs for Andhra, none for Orissa
[ 3 Mar, 2007 1747hrs ISTIANS ]
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NEW DELHI: The central government is planning to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Andhra Pradesh even as it has decided to upgrade two other technical institutes in the state to IIT level.

Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh informed the Rajya Sabha this week that the Andhra Pradesh government had offered 1,000 acres of land free of cost along with civic amenities at Basara in Adilabad district if the centre agreed to its proposal to set up an IIT there.

He was answering a question by Adilabad MP Nandi Yelliah.

Arjun Singh had told Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy last year that the central government was willing to set up an IIT if the state was ready to provide 500-600 acres of land free of cost with necessary social and physical infrastructure, including good road, rail and air connectivity.

The Andhra Pradesh government was responsive to the precondition of the human resource development ministry and immediately wrote back that it is "in the process of finalising a suitable piece of land with good infrastructure facilities, for the setting up of an IIT in Andhra Pradesh".

Arjun Singh also said the Centre on the basis of the recommendations of an experts committee had identified seven institutions in the country for upgrading to IIT level. Two of these are in Andhra Pradesh - the Osmania University College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, and the Andhra Pradesh College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam.

The upgradation process has already begun and the central government has released Rs 70 million for Osmania College and Rs 80 million for the Visakhapatnam college in the last financial year 2006-07, said Singh.

Orissa, however, has had no such luck.

Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeshwari informed the house that "the chief minister of Orissa has written to the prime minister for establishment of a Greenfield IIT in Orissa and for upgradation of the extension campus of IIT, Kharagpur, at Bhubaneswar.

"The government has decided to set up three new IITs in the states of Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh."

TOI: Union minister of state for HRD MAA Fatmi's mention of IITs for Orissa in the 11th plan

PU may finally get Central varsity status

[ 29 Aug, 2006 0222hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

PATNA: The Centre has decided to open an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Bihar besides an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT).

It has also decided to accord Central university status to one of the universities in the state, preferably Patna Univeristy.

The announcements were made by Union minister of state for HRD MAA Fatmi at the inaugural ceremony of a new experiment of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) called "On Demand Examination" here on Monday.

Fatmi said, "The proposal for one IIT for Bihar and two for Orissa and one Western Indian state besides one IIIT to Bihar will be included in 11th Five Year Plan". He said that five universities were being upgraded as Central universities of which one will be from Bihar. "The process for the upgrade has already started," he said.

The Union junior minister further said that Institute of Science are going to be opened in Kolkata, Pune and Punjab. In Kolkata, the foundation has already been laid, he added.

A bit critical of the state government, Fatmi said the Centre has allotted Rs 2400 crore under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

"Kasturba Gandhi Residential Schools for girls were sanctioned for 128 blocks of Bihar but so far only 62 have been established. A huge fund of Rs 1300 crore for construction of school buildings under SSA is lying with the state government," he said.

"The Centre is releasing funds in the name of SSA but the state government has changed the name of the scheme to Mukhyamantri Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan," he said adding they were not authorised to change the name. Similarly, funds have been provided for 4000 madarsas of Bihar under the innovative education scheme but only 400 have got the money so far, he said...

The "Jab Chaho Pariksha" scheme was formally inaugurated by railway minister Lalu Prasad, who said Patna is the third place where this scheme has been launched after Delhi and Pune. Under this scheme the children who could not appear in regular examinations and those who have failed can apply for examinations which would be arranged for them within 10 days.

About 550 such centres would be opened in the country and in Bihar it would be implemented even in the interiors.

The HRD minister also announced that four new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) would be opened in Madhubani, Sheohar, Supaul and Araria. As many as 13 KVs are already functioning in Bihar.

Lalu said Kasturba Gandhi Residential School Scheme is meant for girls belonging to minorities, Dalits and backwards where they are given stipends besides free accommodation and food.

He asked Fatmi to seek reports from all DMs regarding the implementation of the scheme.

"Speak to the CM and ask why various schemes of education are not being implemented despite provision of funds."

Earlier, NIOS chairman N C Pant introduced the scheme and welcomed the guests.