Odisha HRD

At least Seven new AICTE approved Engineering Colleges are starting from this year

Those are:

• Bhubaneswar Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar.
• Capital Engineering College, Bhubaneswar.
• INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, Bhubaneswar.
• Radhakrishna Institute of Engineering and Technology (RITE), Bhubaneswar.
• RAYAGADA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, Rayagada
• KRUTTIKA INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL, Bhubaneswar
• BHADRAK ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY, Bhubaneswar

Six of the above are in the Bhubaneswar area taking the total number of engineering colleges in the Bhubaneswar area to 68.

Some of the engineering colleges that are still in the pipeline are:

• Dadhichi College of Engineering, Cuttack
• Hirakud Institute of Engineering & Technology, Baragarh
• Maa Manasha Institute of Engineering and Technology (MMIET), Bhubaneswar
• Satyananda Institute of Engineering & Technology, Bhubaneswar
• SRI KRISHNA CHAITANYA ENGINEERING COLLEGE, Bhubaneswar

Related articles from the past:

• http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/4897.
• http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/4683.
• Engineering College Clusters of Orissa in 2009.
• Seat Comparison.
• M.Tech seats.

5 comments July 28th, 2010

Many 11th plan HRD initiatives including 20 new IIITs facing roadblocks; Minister Sibal seeks PM’s help

Following is an excerpt from a report in Indian Express.

… Sibal had written to the PM seeking his intervention on three stuck schemes including the proposal to set up 20 new IIITs (Indian Institutes of Information Technology) on PPP basis, which was shot down by the Finance Ministry earlier this month. Of the other two stuck projects, one is meant to finance state universities and colleges, and the second is a Rs 2,000-crore scheme to set up 2,500 vocational schools across the country.

The PMO has now asked the Planning Commission to re-examine the projects.

Sibal is learnt to have brought to the PM’s notice how these projects were key to increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education. India is looking at a GER target of 20 per cent by 2020 against a dismal 12 per cent at present.

… the ministry’s proposal — shared with all state governments last year — to incentivise states for setting up new universities and colleges has also hit a roadblock. The proposal is to provide Central assistance to state governments to the tune of 1/3rd of the capital cost for setting up of new universities and colleges and also for expansion of existing institutes. The state governments will be required to bear 2/3rd of the capital cost and recurring expenditure. In fact, states have already been asked to identify land and suitable locations for these new institutions and also prepare detailed project reports.

2 comments July 21st, 2010

M.Tech programs offered by Engineering Colleges, other institutions and universities in Odisha

Following is extracted from multiple sources including http://www.aicte-india.org/excel/29jun/ORISSA.html. 

The * implies that I am not sure of the number. The number I have in that case may be a few years old. The above adds up to 1830+372* seats total. Out of which 1112+318* seats are in the greater Bhubaneswar (including Dhenkanal) area.

My guess is that majority of these M.Tech’s (at least 50-60%) would go into teaching. This should definitely help the faculty quality of the engineering colleges and programs in Odisha. In a few years IIT Bhubaneswar is going to start M.Tech. That would help the situation further.

1 comment July 16th, 2010

New Odisha Institutions that have been recommended by AICTE; Approved number of seats in various colleges (old and new

Following is obtained from sheet1 http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/impann/371_New_Recommanded.htm.

• Bhubaneswar Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Engineering College
• Capital Institute of Management & Science, Bhubaneswar, Management
• Capital Engineering College, Bhubaneswar, Engineering College
• DRIEMS BUSINESS SCHOOL, Cuttack, Management
• INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, Bhubaneswar, Engineering College
• Radhakrishna Institute of Engineering and Technology (RITE), Bhubaneswar, Engineering College
• RAYAGADA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, Rayagada, Engineering
• Saraswat Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, Management

In Sheet 2 of that link there are a few additional institutes. Its implication is not clear.

• KRUTTIKA INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL, Bhubaneswar, Engineering College
• BHADRAK ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY, Bhubaneswar, Engineering College

The following two links have information on institutions that are recommended but need to submit additional information before getting an LOA.

• http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/impann/incomplete_data_185.htm
• http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/impann/incomplete_data_371.htm

The following link has information on the number of seats approved by AICTE for various colleges in Orissa.

• http://www.aicte-india.org/excel/29jun/ORISSA.html.

1 comment July 4th, 2010

A Silicon Valley group to fund Silicon Institute to make it a university

The Silicon Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar is one of the best private engineering college in Odisha. In Orissa JEE, after the government institutions in Burla and Bhubaneswar the next preferred college in recent years has been Silicon Institute (NIST Berhampur is a close second). A Silicon Valley group is planning to put Rs 150-300 crores on Silicon Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar to upgrade it to a University. The group has already invested in SIlicon Institute resulting in the establishment of a branch in Sambalpur.

The new investment plan was announced in the Invest Bhubaneswar Symposium in Palo Alto on July 1st 2010. I was present during the announcement.

5 comments July 2nd, 2010

So far AICTE has approved only one new institution in Odisha

The list made on 14th June is available at http://www.aicte-india.org/listofnewinst.html. The eastern region seems to have fared very badly. Only two new institutions have been recommended  out of which one is in Odisha. That institute is:

Mahendra Institute of Management and Technical Studies, Khurda. To offer PGDM.

For the institutions that were not approved appeals were scheduled on 18th June. See http://www.aicte-india.org/appealsch.html and http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/appealschedule/Appeal%20Eastern.pdf#toolbar=0&zoom=85. That list has many proposed institutions from Odisha. It remains to be seen if some of them succeed. The institutions from Odisha in that list are:

• ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, Bhubaneswar (Management)
• BHADRAK ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY, Bhubaneswar (Engineering)
• Bhubaneswar Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar (Engineering)
• CAPITAL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND SCIENCE, Bhubaneswar (Management)
• CAPITAL ENGINEERING COLLEGE, Bhubaneswar (Engineering)
• DRIEMS BUSINESS SCHOOL, Cuttack (Management)
• Fakir Mohan  Autonomous College, Balasore (Management)
• Government College (Autonomous), Angul (Management)
• Hirakud Institute of Engineering & Technology, Baragarh  (Engineering)
• INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, Bhubaneswar (Engineering)
• KRUTTIKA INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION, Bhubaneswar  (Engineering)
• Pentagon School of Management, Bhubaneswar (Management)
• Radhakrishna Institute of Engineering and Technology (RITE), Bhubaneswar (Engineering)
• RAYAGADA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, Rayagada (Engineering)
• Saraswat Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (Management)
• Shibani Institute of Business and Management, Bhubaneswar (Management)
• SRI KRISHNA CHAITANYA ENGINEERING COLLEGE, Bhubaneswar (Engineering)
• UDAYANATH COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Adaspur (Management)

For the list of proposed institutions from Odisha that were in the pipeline see http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/4683.

Add comment June 25th, 2010

Odisha plans a power management institute along the lines of NPTI and PMI

From http://www.npti.in/about.html:

National Power Training Institute (NPTI) has been set up by the Government of India under the Ministry of Power, to function as the National Apex Body for Human Resources Development of Indian Power Sector. The Corporate Office of NPTI is located at NPTI Complex, Sector-33, Faridabad -121 003 (Haryana). It operates on an all India basis through its Institutes in the different regions/power zones of the country viz.. Neyveli. Durgapur, New Delhi, Nagpur, Guwahati, Faridabad and Bangalore.

From http://pmintpc.com/interface/about_us_overview.shtml:

The Power Management Institute (PMI) was set up by NTPC in recognition of the vital role that management development has to play, in the context of the challenges associated with the growth of the Indian Power Sector. The Institute is involved in the training and development of middle and senior level personnel not only from the power sector but from organizations outside the sector also.

… The institute’s integrated campus at Noida boasts of modern infrastructure and facilities.

Following is an excerpt from a Business Standard report in sify.com.

Keeping in view the huge manpower requirement for the upcoming power plants of the independent power producers (IPPs) in Orissa, the state government is mulling to set up a Power Management Institute on the lines of the National Power Training Institute (NPTI).

All the IPPs have assured their support to the state government for this institute. To implement the project, the state government would form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with IPPs as stake holders.

The location, investment, intake capacity and other relevant details are yet to be worked out as things are at a preliminary stage.P K Jena, the state energy secretary, said, "The state government is planning to set up a power management institute on the lines of NPTI. The proposed institute is still at a conceptual stage and a concept note is being prepared by the state government in this connection."

"The power management institute will offer diploma as well as degree courses in engineering. The institute will primarily focus on various areas pertaining to the power sector", he added.

The objective behind setting up this institute is to prepare skilled and semi-skilled manpower for the upcoming power projects.It may be noted that as many as 27 IPPs have inked MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with the state government. All these 27 IPPs have a cumulative generation capacity of 32,420 MW.These power projects are set to generate around 50,000 direct jobs besides creating indirect employment for 150,000 people.

The page http://www.orissa.gov.in/energy/Mou-IPP/MoU_IPP1.htm lists 21 of the 27 MOUs that have been signed. We reproduce that list below.

2 comments June 20th, 2010

IIIT Bhubaneswar to become a state university; Centurion University of Technology and Management (a private state university) in Parlakhemundi in the offing

Following are excerpts from a report in tathya.in. (The website of the Centurion group is http://www.cgi.ac.in/.)

… Proposal to establish the Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) by the Department of Higher Education (DHE) has received green signal of the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

… And latest is Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) in Gajapati will go a long way in serving the state in general and KBK in particular, said a senior official.

Once the proposal receives clearance of the State Cabinet, a bill will be presented in the Odisha House to enact a law to establish the university by JITM Trust.

This is a great move by the Odisha government. In recent years JITM of Parlakhemundi has had many innovative programs. Making it a university is a just reward and a big boon to the backward Gajapati area.

I hope other areas of Odisha take note of this and try to learn from this. It is easier for a government to help, if people take their own initiatives.

Another institution that deserves similar reward is the Gandhi group of institutions, with its initial (and the best) college GIET in Gunupur, also in a backward district (Rayagada). I hope the Odisha government also upgrades the GIET in Gunupur, the largest engineering college in Odisha, to a university. 

NIST Berhampur also deserves similar reward as it is located in Ganjam (also considered a backward district and part of the backward South Odisha) and is among the top engineering colleges in Odisha.

Based on quality, Silicon Bhubaneswar also deserves to become a university. Similarly, Hi-tech because of its medical college also deserves to become a university. (Note: The two other private medical coleges of Odisha are part of deemed universities.)

In general, the government should make universities out of any engineering college that is in a backward district but yet is among the top 20 (with respect to student preferences), groups with private medical and engineering colleges in any location, and top 5  private engineering colleges in any location. This should be done every 4-5 years so that every college does not become a university.

Following are excerpts from a report in tathya.in on IIIT Bhubaneswar. 

State Government has decided to accord the Unitary University status to IIIT-Bh so that it will enjoy academic, administrative and financial autonomy.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has given consent to the proposal of Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Minister IT in this regard.

… State Cabinet will take a call on the issue on 9 June, said sources. 

3 comments June 8th, 2010

Expert visit dates of proposed new AICTE colleges and programs in Odisha (as of 28th May 2010)

The following is from http://www.aicte-india.org/downloads/expertsch/Expert%20Visit%20Schedule%20as%20on%2028.05.10.htm. 

Following is the list of Colleges and Programs that are in the pipeline. It is obtained from http://www.aicte-india.org/excel/30april/Orissa_300410.htm.

1 comment May 23rd, 2010

Demand to upgrade BOSE to an engineering College: Dharitri

It may be a good idea to consider upgrading all the government diploma colleges to also include degree programs. See the list at http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/4122.

Add comment May 8th, 2010

Andhra’s recruiting of IITians as faculty for its 3 recent IIITs

In 2008 Andhra created 3 new IIITs in rural areas of the state. These three IIITs at Basar, Nuzvid and RK Valley are the components of the newly established Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies. Following are excerpts from a report in Times of India that talks about hiring of faculty for these IIITs.

The institutes are going through a crisis at present due to inadequate faculty and lack of infrastructure because of which the state government has decided to reduce the intake of students by half — from 6,000 per year to 3,000 — from the coming academic year.

… “About 140 post-graduates from the five Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore have come forward to teach the rural students even though they have lucrative offers on hand from the corporate sector and international institutes,” said R V Raja Kumar, vice chancellor of the Rajiv Gandhi University for Knowledge Technologies under which the three institutes function.

At least half of the selected post-graduates and PhDs are Andhrites and have expressed their willingness to stay among the students and impart engineering education in the country, the VC said. Raja Kumar himself is an IITian from Kharagpur. “The hunt for talent will continue. We want to recruit post-graduates from the institutes of national and international repute in the country,” the VC said.

.. “This is for the first time in India that campus recruitment is being done by a university for the recruitment of the faculty. The response has been very encouraging and several post-graduates have volunteered to join the institutes located in remote areas,” said Raja Kumar.

In Odisha KIIT has been recruiting heavily from IITs. We reported on it in http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/2492. I hope the Odisha government engineering colleges, IIIT Bhubaneswar, SUIIT and VSSUT follow a similar approach and go for campus recruitment in the IITs.

The program at these IIITs in Andhra are different from programs anywhere else. See http://www.rgukt.in/program.html. They offer 6 year dual degree programs after the 10th class and take students mainly from the rural areas.

Add comment May 2nd, 2010

What really happened at Silicon Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar on Thursday night?

Update: Apparently a student’s version is at http://whackedoutbrain.blogspot.com/2010/04/neglected-by-college-raped-by-media.html.

We have no way of verifying if the poster is a Silicon student or not. His account seems believable and the comments there suggests that other students agree with the poster.

In recent years, especially after KIIT and ITER became deemed universities, Silicon Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar has been the top choice of students among the private engineering colleges of Odisha. 

On Thursday night 22nd of April a student of Silicon died. This incident resulted in a conflict between Silicon authorities and the media and there are multiple versions of the story.

The media versions of the story can be read in:

• http://dailypioneer.com/251317/College-director-detained-after-students-attack-media.html
• http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100424/jsp/nation/story_12374940.jsp
• http://sify.com/news/three-held-for-attacking-scribes-in-bhubaneswar-news-national-kexuEebgiic.html
• http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=18014
• http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=18035
• http://www.tathya.in/news/story.asp?sno=4006
• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Staff-members-of-silicon-tech-institute-arrested-/articleshow/5854011.cms

On the other hand the Orissa Private Engineering College Association has put the advertisement given below in various newspapers. I do not know who to believe. I hope some of the students who were present during the event can shed light on what really happened.

16 comments April 24th, 2010

Comparing Maharashtra and Odisha in terms of engineering seats

The Maharashtra numbers are from http://www.dte.org.in/degree/statistics/regionwisetotal.asp?inst_type=ENGINEERING. For Odisha I calculated the numbers using 2009 AICTE data. (Thanks to Bagdu for inspiring us to make this comparison.)

Couple of points to note from the above:

• The number of B.Engg seats in Bhubaneswar is not bad in comparison with the much larger cities of Mumbai and Pune.
• The other three metropolitan areas of Odisha mentioned above need to get to the level of at least 5000 seats (if not 10,000 seats) to make them attractive to IT companies.
• The increasing M.Tech seats will help improve the quality of faculty in the engineering colleges.

4 comments April 22nd, 2010

Some engineering colleges that are in the pipeline

Although last year several engineering colleges in Odisha could not fill their seats, there seems to be several new engineering colleges in the pipeline for this year. The list for the eastern region is here and here. From those lists my guess is that the following are engineering colleges that are being made in Odisha.

• Bhadrak Academy of Technology, Kantabada, Bhubaneswar (by the same people as Bhadrak Institute of Engineering and Technology)
• Bhubaneswar Institute of Industrial Technology
• Capital Engineering College
• Dadhichi College of Engineering
• Hirakud Institute of Engineering & Technology
• Ideal Institute of Engineering (?)
• International Institute of Engineering Technology, Bhubaneswar
• Radhakrishna Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar
• Rayagada Institute of Technology & Management
• Satyananda Institute of Engineering & Technology
• Udaynath College of Science & Technology

There are many other names in the list; but I am not sure if they are in Odisha, West Bengal or Assam. I am pretty sure that the above (except the one marked with a ?) are in Odisha.

1 comment April 21st, 2010

New dynamic VCs lead the Sambalpur region towards a knowledge hub

UCE Burla becoming VSSUT and the hiring of dynamic vice Chancellors at VSSUT (Prof. D K Tripathy from IIT Kharagpur) as well as at Sambalpur University (Prof. Arun Pujari from the University of Hyderabad) has given a huge momentum in making the Sambalpur area a knowledge hub and together with similar progress at Rourkela a western knowledge corridor is now in the making. In this write-up we will focus on the greater Sambalpur area ranging from Bargarh in the west of Sambalpur to Jharsuguda and Sundergarh in the north and north east.

• Universities: Two exists; 2 more in the making
  • There are two universities with dynamic leadership at their helm: VSSUT and Sambalpur University
  • Sambalpur University has received approval and funding for a SU-IIT (Sambalpur University Institute of Information Technology) and is pursuing a sports institute.
  • VSSUT has significant expansion plans.
  • There is a proposal to upgrade GM college to a unitary university.
  • The health minister had announced to upgrade VSS Medical College to a university.
  • Branch of OUAT in Chipilima.
• Engineering Colleges: Besides VSSUT, there are five more engineering colleges in the area. 2 in Baragarh, 1 in Jharsuguda, 1 in Sundergarh and 1 in Sason (Silicon West).
• Management Institute: XIMB plans a campus in this area.
• Centrally funded Institutes: IIHT (Indian Institute of Handloom Technology) in Baragarh.
• Research Institute: CIFT Burla.
• Other Colleges: Panchayat College Baragarh, NSCB College Sambalpur, Govt. Womens College Sambalpur, Govt. College Sundergarh and Govt. Womens College Sundergarh.
• Demography: See http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/2715
• Infrastructure:
  • Rail Connectivity: See http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/2005
  • Airport: Jharsuguda airport is under construction.

The above gives the current status of this area. In addition to the efforts mentioned above, following should also be pursued.

• The VSSUT must be upgraded to a national level institute such as an IIEST (Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology)
• An STP must be established in Sambalpur.
• Operationalization of Jharsuguda airport must be expedited.
• One of the central government departments such as CSIR, DAE, Sc & Tech, etc. needs to open a research center here.
• The Orissa government should push to upgrade the VSS Medical College to the AIIMS level.
• Establishment of private medical colleges in this area must be encouraged.
• The OUAT college in Chipilima needs to upgraded and expanded
• A regional university (similar to the old regional engineering colleges, with 50-50 partnership between the state and the central govt.) should be established in Jharsuguda. (This could be part of the 12th five year plan starting from 2012.)
• A state university should be established in Jharsuguda during the 13th plan. (by 2020)
• A state university should be established in Baragarh during the 13th plan. (by 2020)
• Considering the rapid industrialization of the area, the Govt. Engineering School in Jharsuguda should be upgraded to an engineering college, perhaps as a constituent college of VSSUT.

NOTE on Comments: Only constructive comments will be allowed. Please do not submit comments that advocate separatism, conspiracy theories, shifting, badmouthing, etc.

Add comment March 14th, 2010

NIST Berhampur to have a Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) Centre for Relevance and Excellence (CORE) in 3G and 4G Communication Technologies

(Thanks to futureberhampur for the pointer.)

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

The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has announced establishment of a new TIFAC- CORE in National Institute of Science and Technology here.The TIFAC CORE is exclusively devoted to research, consultancy and industrial collaboration in the area of 3G and 4G communications technologies.This is the first such facility in Orissa and the only one dedicated to 3G/4G communications technologies in the country.This CORE, located at NIST, will be hosting the state-of-the-art world class equipment and manpower to propel Indian companies in innovating new products and services in communication technologies.The total funding of Rs 9.15 crore will be met in equal proportion by TIFAC (DST) and the participating industries.The most notable participating industries are National Instruments, ARM, free-scale semiconductors, Atera (all Bangalore based).

Add comment January 25th, 2010

Vedanta to build hostel for Government College of Engineering in Bhawanipatna

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The company will also build the hostel for the proposed engineering college of the state government at Bhawanipatna.

This is a good first step. It should do much more with respect to the HRD of that area.

Add comment January 25th, 2010

NIT Rourkela: Orissa’s top nationally ranked academic institution and Rourkela’s shining jewel

I was going through NIT Rourkela’s website. Although it has been always ranked pretty high (good research ranking, high ranking by India Today) among engineering colleges in India, over the last few years it is turning into a comprehensive university with new departments and programs. Prof. Sunil Sarangi has done wonders since he has arrived as the director of NIT Rourkela. Following are some of the highlights of the unique programs, new programs and new departments.

• Applied Mathematics Department: Has a program in M.Sc Mathematics
• Biotechnology and Medical Engineering Department: New department started in 2007-2008 and started B.Tech and M.Tech in Biomedical Engineering
• Business Administration Department: New department being made. New programs to start soon, hopefully in 2010
• Ceramic Engineering Department: B.Tech and M.Tech programs in Ceramic Engineering. This is a unique department and program not available in many places.
• Chemistry Department: Has a program in M.Sc Chemistry
• Humanities and Social Sciences Department: Two-year PG Programme in Development Studies to start from the next academic year
• Life Sciences Department: 2 year M. Sc. Programme (4-semester course) in Life Science commenced from July 2009
• Physics Department: Has a program in M.Sc Physics

Note: Among the above departments, the Applied Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics departments are not new but I think the M.Sc programs are new; I could not find when exactly they were started.

As one can notice from the above, one can do degrees in Molecular Biology or Humanities at NIT Rourkela. Soon one can pursue an MBA. This is really wonderful and kudos to Prof. Sarangi for making this happen.

In August this year when I met Prof. Sarangi in Orissa I broached the topic of having a medical college at NIT Rourkela. He was not opposed to the idea, but was worried that with only 1-2 years left in his tenure at NIT Rourkela, he would not be able to make it happen in that short time. I hope a way is found so that Prof. Sarangi stays for another 5 year term at NIT Rourkela. I am told every one likes him and respects him at NIT Rourkela. We should  write him and thank him for all that he has done for NIT Rourkela, request him to stay longer in Rourkela and we should do something (perhaps write to CMO and MHRD) to give him another 5 year term. We should request Prof. Sarangi to start a medical college at NIT Rourkela. His parent institution, IIT Khragpur is starting one in Kharagpur, so if he is given time, he will be able to do it. Another program that NIT Rourkela should be encouraged  to establish is "Architecture and Town Planning".  (In this regard, NIT Warangal leads the pack of NITs in planning for a medical school and a law school.)

For our readers with Rourkela connection please spread the word about the availability of science, business and humanities programs at NIT Rourkela so that good students and faculty join these programs. Also, some of you students, go and pursue higher degrees (PhD) and come back and join NIT Rourkela and to the others become an entrepreneur and open companies in Rourkela. 

Another good thing about all of these is that with the new VC at VSSUT Burla, who is also from IIT Khragapur and a good friend of Prof. Sarangi , a similar transformation can be expected at VSSUT Burla. Already, a new department of Humanities is being made at VSSUT Burla. VSSUT Burla has advertised for new faculty positions and its VC has mentioned some of his new plans. In an interview to TOI he is reported to have said: 

Our priority will be to make the institution as one of the best of the country and for this we are planning to introduce few new branches of engineering courses. Textile engineering is one among them which will help to strengthen the development of the Sambalpuri fabric. We also plan to introduce Nano-science technology, Bio-medical engineering and surgical engineering soon”, the vice chancellor Dr Tripathy told.

4 comments December 19th, 2009

The faculty at IIIT Bhubaneswar and their degrees

Following is gleaned from http://www.iiit-bh.ac.in/downloads/mandotaryDisclosure-2009.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1. Below I just give the name and the degrees. For other important qualifications such as experience, please see the above mentioned document.

1. Dr. Gopal Nayak, Director.  B.Tech and Ph.D IIT Kharagpur.PGDM IIM Bangalore.
2. Ajit Das, Dean and Professor. B. Tech IIT Khragpur. M. Tech Utkal. Pursuing PhD at Utkal.
3. Ramesh Chandra Balbantray, Assistant Professor, M.Sc and M.Phil in Maths from Utkal, M.Tech in CS from Utkal, Ph.D thesis submitted in 2007 at Utkal.
4. Ashok Das, Assistant Professor, M.Sc Mathematics IIT Kharagpur, M.Tech Computer Science and Data Processing, IIT Khragpur., Ph.D in Computer Science & Engineering submitted in June 2008 at IIT Kharagpur.
5. Anjali Mohapatra, Senior Lecturer, M.Sc and M. Phil in Physics, Utkal, M.Tech in Computer Science, Utkal, Continuing Ph.D at Utkal on Computational Molecular Biology.
6. Dr. Monalisa Ray, Senior Lecturer, M.Sc Physics Ravenshaw/Utkal, Ph.D in Physics, Utkal.
7. Dr. Tanutrushna Panigrahi, Senior Lecturer, MA and Ph.D in English from Berhampur University.
8. Dr. Rupaj Nayak, Senior Lecturer, MA and Ph.D in Mathematics from Utkal.
9. Dr. Biswajit Pradhan, Lecturer, MSc Berhampur and PhD  in Physics IIT Bombay.
10. Dr. Satyanarayan Pal, Senior Lecturer, M.Sc in Chemistry Vidyasagar University, Ph.D in Chemistry, Univ. of Hyderabad.
11. Muktikanta Sahu, Lecturer, B.E , BIET Bhadrak, M.Tech CET in CS & IT.
12. Lipika Das, Lecturer, MA in English Utkal, Continuing Ph.D at Utkal.
13. Usharani Rout, Lecturer, B.E Electrical IGIT Sarang, M.Tech BIT Mesra in Control System.
14. Puspanjali Mohapatra, Lecturer, B.E Electrical IGIT Sarang, M.Tech Computer Science, Utkal, Continuing Ph.D at Utkal.
15. Dr. Hiranmayee Satpathy, Lecturer, M.Sc Chemistry Utkal, Ph.D in Polymer Chemistry, IIT Kharagpur.
16. Bamadev Sahoo, Senior Lecturer, BE Mechanical IGIT Sarang, M.Tech Aerospace Eng from IIT Kharagpur, Continuing Ph.D in Mechanical at Jadavpur University.

23 comments November 30th, 2009

State of Delhi’s knowledge centric moves and roadmap; What VSSUT can learn from Delhi Tech U?

Earlier this year Delhi College of Engineering became a state university and changed its name to Delhi Tech University. On November 10th, after 100 days of its completion as a university its VC had the following to report.

The Vice Chancellor informed the gathering that four new undergraduate courses and six new postgraduate courses have been added from 2009-10 in areas of high relevance to the country. "Nano-Science and Technology, VLSI Design, Microwave and Optical Communication, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Power Systems are the areas in which DTU has made a modest yet committed beginning," he said. The University has also forayed into management education this year by establishing ‘Delhi School of Management’ to offer MBA program in innovative areas like knowledge and technology management.

With a view to encourage excellence in education and research, DTU has established an ‘Innovation Fund’ with a seed money of Rs. 10 lakh and has introduced cash awards of Rs. 10,000 for the toppers of each semester, in each discipline and Reward of Rs 10,000 for faculty members who publish research papers in International Journals of High Impact Factor. The University has also recruited about 22 new faculty members at various levels recently.

… The thrust areas of R&D at DTU are going to be Biofuel and Clean Energy Technologies, Future Automobile Solutions, Nano Scale Devices and Photonics, New and Smart Materials, Conducting Polymers, Broadband on Power lines, Info Security and Network Management and Socially Relevant Technologies

Following are some quotes from another article about this.

"The total student strength in DTU will be almost three times of its current student intake in the next five years", the VC says.

The VC also announced the beginning of new programs including dual degree programs and integrated Master’s programs in areas of relevance to our country in Medical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Bio-informatics, Clean Energy and Environment Technology, New and Smart Materials and Nano-Technology.

Speaking to an NNE correspondent, the VC said that DTU’s board of management has already given its nod to construct a multi-storey academic block; a teaching block housing ICT enabled lecture theatres and additional hostel facilities for both boys and girls.

"As a part of our academic and research plan we shall set up transform selected research laboratories as world class test houses cum research centres, establish a knowledge park cum Technology Incubator in DTU campus to foster i2IP, student and faculty led techno-enterprises and facilitate effective industry institution interaction," Prof. Sharma added.

A finishing school in partnership with the industry and alumni to further boost employability of their graduates is also in the wish list of the VC.

A Staff College for Tech faculty development will also be set up in DTU to support the Faculty Development mission.

Following are excerpts from another recent article on this. 

In an endeavour to attract the best talent to teaching and research, a leading technology university here has initiated 25 teaching-cum-research fellowships (TRFs), including 20 at the doctoral level and five at the post-doctoral level. …

Each teaching-cum-research fellow will be enrolled for a full-time Ph D. programme and will take 10 hours per week of teaching work at the B.Tech or M.Tech levels, a DTU statement said.

The incumbents will be initially appointed for two years, which will be further extended depending on academic and research performance.

The expenditure involved in the grant of TRFs has been estimated around Rs.60 lakh per annum, the statement said.

The first ordinance of the university relating to B.Tech. courses has already been approved by the government. The ordinance for M.Tech and MBA programmes was approved by the DTU board Saturday.

Highlighting the achievements of the institution during the last three months, DTU Vice Chancellor P.B. Sharma told the board: "Apart from a major R&D tie-up with US aerospace major Lockheed Martin for developing a next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle,the university has entered into a collaboration with the Groupe Des Ecoles Des Mines of France to foster collaboration, provide opportunities for global experience and facilitate advancement of knowledge in the field of engineering."

Overall Delhi plans 6 specialized universities. Following is an excerpt from an article about this. 

Titled `Delhi as the knowledge capital’, and jointly organized by the Department of Training and Technical Education, government of NCT of Delhi and Delhi Technological University (DTU), the conference on Wednesday discussed a strategic framework for giving shape to the varsity system. Three out of the six universities are already functional. They include the National Law School University (NLU), IIIT-Delhi and Dr B R Ambedkar University.

"Under the new model of higher education, a number of discipline-focused smaller universities are being set up, which would be managed by a common apex system. The new institutes planned are the University of Science and Technology, University of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, and University College of Medical Sciences,” said Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta.

The conference is being seen as a platform for creating a plan of action for the proposed initiatives of the Delhi government. It also discussed the public-private partnership model (PPP) of education where the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) was cited as an instance. In this system, a majority of the affiliated colleges are privately run.

The above has some lessons for Orissa, its VCs and its higher education task force. In particular, the VC of VSSUT, Burla must take note of the speed at which Delhi Tech U is moving. The VSSUT VC must take the opportunity provided by the document being drafted by the Orissa higher education task force and put into it a visionary plan for VSSUT. In regards to BPUT it may have a new VC soon. Hopefully the new VC will help BPUT Rourkela transition from an administrative unit operating from Bhubaneswar to a real university operating from Rourkela.

The VSSUT VC has announced some plans. Following is an excerpt from http://www.alumniuce.com/messages.asp?id=300.

(1) VSSUT is going to organize its First Convocation to award degrees to its 2009 batch graduands in December -2009/January-2010 in the auditorium with an invitation to a reputed personality from the country to deliver the convocation address as Chief Guest.

(2) A Webgroup with teachers and students be formed to develop and maintain our University website to make it one of the best website in the world.

(3)Construction of one 600 seated Boys hostel and 60 seated guest house.

(4) A digital library and 24X7 internet connectivity in the university campus, students hostels and staff quarters.

(5) Appointment of 39 new teaching faculties in next three months time and Phone, PC and Internet facility in individual faculty office rooms.

(7) Revision and Up gradation of Curriculum taking IIT-Kharagpur as a model.

(8) A Big Notice board at the Entrance near Golden Jubilee gate for coverage and information of all events of the University.

(9)Construction of A Big bounded campus with New staff quarters.

(10) Construction of another big auditorium with 2000 capacity.

Following is an excerpt from http://www.alumniuce.com/messages.asp?id=297.

Our priority will be to make the institution as one of the best of the country and for this we are planning to introduce few new branches of engineering courses. Textile engineering is one among them which will help to strengthen the development of the Sambalpuri fabric. We also plan to introduce Nano-science technology, Bio-medical engineering and surgical engineering soon”, the vice chancellor Dr Tripathy told.

According to him, several modification and changes are to be taken place in the infrastructure of the institution once it becomes university. But since it requires lot of expenditure we want to change it in phase manner. “I am meeting the industry secretary soon to place our immediate requirement. I am hopeful the government would give proper attention to solve the problem of the institution. We have shortage of faculty members. About 44 new faculty members are required immediately. So we advertise this in our website and soon we are able to fill up the posts”, Dr. Tripathy told.

These are good steps. VC Tripathy should take the Delhi Tech Univ plans as well has his own plans to our government and use that to leverage more support from the government.

In this regard I would like readers to comment on some future directions for VSSUT. We will collect those and give it to VSSUT VC as well as to the higher education task force. Thanks in advance.

3 comments November 22nd, 2009