Odisha government makes guidelines for new private universities; impact on the various applications

The following bullet points about the guidelines are from this article in tathya.in.

  • The committee that will examine the proposals based on the guidelines will be headed by the Chief Secretary and Secretary of the Higher Education will be the Member Convener.
  • Each private university shall be established by a separate Act, which will be passed by Odisha Legislative Assembly.
  • Private university shall fulfill the minimum criteria in terms of programs, faculty, infrastructural facilities and financial viability.
  • Any college opting to establish a private university should have been in existence for at least 15 years in the state, however in deserving cases the State Government may relax the condition of 15 years for
    institutes of national and international repute.
  • In ‘De Novo’ university category, where no such institution belonging to the promoter exists within Odisha as on date of commencement of the university will be devoted to unique and emerging areas of knowledge. These institutions should be promoted by persons/institutions of proven merit and reputation. Selection of universities in this category will be made by a committee of experts comprising eminent academicians and the Secretary of the department concerned dealing with the subject.
  • Infrastructure requirement: At least 15 acres of land in urban area and 30 acres of land in non-urban area will be needed. For administrative building 1000 square meter and academic building 10,000 square meter will be required for a private university. Residential accommodation for teachers and hostel accommodation for students will be required.
  • Corpus Fund: For institutions conducting professional program such as Engineering & Technology and Medicine it will be Rs.8 crore, where as for Management and Law it will be Rs.5 crore and for other programs Rs.4 crore kitty will be needed. For institutions conducting both professional and other programs will have Rs.10 as Corpus Fund, while for the ‘De Novo’ category of university; the Corpus Fund will be Rs.25 crore.
  • Financial viability of the institution will be verified by the audited statements of accounts of the institutions for the previous 5 years.
  • The Chancellor of the university will be an eminent educationist or a distinguished public figure and there will be no Pro-Chancellor.
  • The Board of Management will be headed by the Vice Chancellor with the body consisting a minimum of 10 and maximum of 12 Members.

In the link https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/7127 we have the list of applicants as of 8/20/2011. Let us analyze some of those application in terms of the above criteria. (In that we will use the link https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/6243 which includes the dates when various professional colleges were started.)

  • Centurion: Established on 12/23/2010. Its main constituent JITM started in 1997.
  • Sri Sri: Act passed by GOO on 12/26/09. Classes to start in Fall 2012. Would have been considered in the de-novo category.
  • ICFAI: Act passed by GOO on 3/9/10. No progress since then. Would have been considered in the de-novo category.
  • Vedanta University: Bill passed by OLA in December 2009. Awaiting governor’s assent. Also awaiting supreme court verdict on land acquisition.
  • Jagadguru Kripalu University: Would be considered in de-novo category.
  • Xavier University: XIMB was started in 1987.
  • Techno Global University: Techno started in 2005. It will have 15 years experience in 2020.
  • Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham University: Would be considered in de-novo category.
  • Synergy University: Synergy started in 1999. It will have 15 years experience in 2014.
  • Women’s university of Technology: Not sure about the foundation that is behind this. Could be KISD. KISD was started in 2001.
  • Private University by Rai foundation: Would be considered in de-novo category.
  • Amity University: Would be considered in de-novo category.
  • University of Corporate Excellence: Would be considered in de-novo category.
  • Silicon University: Silicon was started in 2001.
  • ASBM University: Not sure when ASBM was started.
  • Divine Global University by Divine Education Trust, Delhi: No idea about the trust behind it.
  • GIET University, Gunupur: GIET was started in 1997.
  • C. V. Raman International University Bhubaneswar: C. V. Raman was started in 1997.
  • JPM University by Shree Chandulal Minda Memorial Trust: Do not know about this trust.
  • Krupajal National University: Krupajal was started in 1999.
  • Manipal: Would be considered in de-novo category.
  • Odia University: Would be considered in de-novo category.
  • Edu City in Rourkela by Knowledge Foundation, Jail Road, Jharpada, Bhubaneswar: Do not know about this trust.

So among the above XIMB, GIET and CVRaman have the required 15 years experience; Synergy and Krupajal will have that in 2014.

July 28th, 2012

Private Universities established or applied for establishment in Odisha (as of 8/20/2011)

   Name of the University  Official status on 8/20/2011 (my comments)
 1  Centurion University of Technology and Management  Established on 12/23/2010
 2  Sri Sri University Act passed by GOO on 12/26/09. No request has been received for visit of H.P.C (My comments: Expected to commence in Fall 2012)
 3  ICFAI University  Act passed by GOO on 3/9/10. No request has been received for visit of H.P.C.
 4  Vedanta University  Bill passed by OLA in December 2009, awaiting Governor’s assent.
 5  Jagadguru Kripalu University  Draft Bill, land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 6  Xavier University  Steps are being taken for finalization of the Draft bill/cabinet memorandum
 7 Techno Global University  Land, project report etc. are being examined as per guidelines.
 8 Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham University  Draft bill from the proposed university has not yet been received. Collector, Khurda/Cuttack has been requested for identification of 150 acres of land for establishment of the university.
 9 Synergy University Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 10  Women’s university of Technology Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 11 Private University by Rai foundation Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 12 Amity University Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 13 University of Corporate Excellence Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 14 Silicon University Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 15 ASBM University Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 16 Divine Global University by Divine Education Trust, Delhi Draft bill, land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 17 GIET University, Gunupur Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 18 C. V. Raman International University Bhubaneswar Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 19 JPM University by Shree Chandulal Minda Memorial Trust Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 20 Krupajal National University Land, project report etc. are being examined as per the guidelines.
 21 Manipal Education and Medical Group (to set up a world class university at Bhubaneswar) DPR has not been received.
 22 Oriya University DPR has not been received.
 23 Edu City in Rourkela by Knowledge Foundation, Jail Road, Jharpada, Bhubaneswar The foundation has been requested to furnish audited profit and loss account, balance sheet of the preceding 5 years as filed before the income tax authorities and the copy of the trust deed.
* BIMTECH Expressed interest to be a university after the above were listed. (Note: This is an update.)

 

December 23rd, 2011

Existing Universities and institutions wanting to become universties in Odisha; Sri Sri Ravishankar to visit Odisha regarding Sri Sri University

The 30.5 lakh sq feet is equivalent to 2,83,355.4066 sq meters and is equivalent to 70.0158 acres. As a comparison:

November 20th, 2011

Quotes from various stakeholders on the attractions and advantages of setting up higher education institutions in Bhubaneswar and Odisha: From a pagalguy.com article

The following quotes are from an article in pagalguy.com.

… a push from the state government, cheap land prices, a pool of students from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and the North East as well as investments by large corporate houses are slowly changing the eastern state’s identity. After Hyderabad, it is Odisha which is steadily becoming the focal point for educational institutes to set up their campuses.

Ratnakar Rout, Joint Secretary, Department of Technical Education, Odisha. “We want to make Bhubaneshwar an educational hub,” he said. “The government wants institutes of international repute to start up so that students from the entire eastern belt can come here for education.” Rout added that many industrial houses, investors and institutes (including foreign universities) are also interested to start operating from Odisha. …

Dr Somayajulu Garimella, director of IMI Bhubaneshwar, says that it is primarily the Odisha government’s proactive stance towards investment in the state that is paving the way for this migration. “The government is acting like a catalyst and there is fantastic support from them in terms of clearances,” said Garimella.

… According to Dr Harivansh Chaturvedi, director BIMTECH, the saturation of b-schools in other states, low living costs and burgeoning middle class population of urban Odisha are some other reasons for b-schools to choose to come to the state.

The Odisha government has been cooperative in terms of allotting land at cheaper prices, say educational administrators. “The government is friendly and we were alloted 30 acres of land at the cost of Rs 8 lakhs per acre,” said Chaturvedi. This was in stark contrast to the price of land in neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where, according to Chaturvedi, land prices can go upto Rs 2 crores for an acre. “We should not invest too much on physical infrastructure like land, as it is expensive,” added Chaturvedi.

… Harivansh Chaturvedi has answers for some of these doubts. “Our target is not just the local students, but the aim is to tap the pan-India market,” he said. “Also, in terms of competition we are looking at the future and within five years there is a possibility that the government might allow foreign universities to set foot in this part of the country.” BIMTECH and IMI are also not very worried about the initial years in terms of placements as their Delhi campuses will mentor the ones in Bhubaneshwar until they can stand on their own feet.

Sri Sri University, which does not enjoy the reputation that IMI or BIMTECH have as far as business education is concerned, has other ways of getting their graduates jobs. “The ‘Art of Living’ community boasts of one of the largest corporate following,” informed Malaya Malla, marketing manager of the university. “The university has received strong commitments from corporates for offering summer projects and final placements.”

3 comments October 3rd, 2011

Sri Sri University (near Cuttack) to start classes in 2011 and ICFAI University Odisha to start in 2012

Following is an excerpt from a report in indiaeducationdiary.in.

Sri Sri Ravishankar University would start enrolling students for MBA and BBA courses for first batch from July 2011. This was announced by chairman of the Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust of Governors Srinivasan on Thursday.

According Srinivasan, the work for the proposed university has already started and they would start to enroll students for 120 seats for common MBA programe, 30 seats each in Agro-MBA and Entrepreneurs MBA from next academic session. Similarly, there are 60 seats for the BBA programe.

The authorities of Sri Sri Ravishankar University have also informed that the courses in medical, engineering, vedic school and other courses would be launched subsequently.

The state government had signed MoU with Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust in December 2006 for the university project pegged at Rs 350 crores. The proposed campus is likely to come up in approximately 200-300 acres of land in Naraj, 10 km from Cuttack. The campus will include academic buildings, recreational facilities, meditation halls, and a sports complex. It will be designed to cater to the needs of 1,500 faculty members, an equal number of non-academic staff members, and 15,000 students.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Economic Times.

THE ICFAI Group, known for its chain of B-schools, is planning to set up eight universities in as many states in the next two years with an investment of Rs400 crore, says a senior official.

It has received the necessary approvals from the governments of Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, said SK Sharma, director, planning and coordination, ICFAI. 

The universities are expected to be operational first in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh next year. “The construction work at these campuses is almost through. The state government has to inspect the facilities,” said Mr Sharma. The universities in Gujarat, Assam, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh will follow suit in 2012.

1 comment August 16th, 2010

ICFAI University bill passes in Odisha assembly with minor ammendments

Following are excerpts from a report in tathya.in.

The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) University Bill received the green signal of the Odisha Legislative Assembly (OLA) today.

… Debi Prasad Mishra, Minister Higher Education piloted the Bill, which was introduced in the Monsoon Session of the Thirteenth Assembly.

Mr.Mishra agreed few changes in the Bill and it was passed after discussion.

… According to latest accommodation, two Members of the House and Secretary of the Department of Higher Education(DHE) will in the Board of Management(BOM) of the University.

Mr.Mishra also agreed to the proposal for granting concession to students belonging to ST, SC and OBC students.

Assembly asked the ICFAI authorities to prepare Fee Structure on the Guidelines of University Grants Commission (UGC) and other regulatory bodies.
Similarly the Endowment Fund will be raised to Rs.5 crore, which was Rs.3 crore.

… With the Bill cleared , now the Hyderabad-based ICFAI would invest Rs 150 crore in setting up a university in Odisha.

The university would have strength of about 1,500 students and offer courses in various disciplines like engineering, management, law, science and humanities. 

… ICFAI has identified 30 acres of land between Bhubaneswar and Khurda for setting up its proposed university.

2 comments June 24th, 2010

Bhubaneswar Odisha a favorite for second campuses of Business Schools

Businessworld has an article on various management schools that are opening second campuses across the country. Among the seven institutes that are mentioned regarding second campuses, Bhubaneswar figures with respect to 4 of them. The article also updates on the status of these campuses. Following are some excerpts:

International Management Institute (IMI) is also setting up a second campus in Bhubaneswar. The ostensible reason for a second campus is the shortage of infrastructure at the Delhi campus. “But the choice of location was based on the encouragement from the state government and our desire to bring high quality management education to this region,” says P.K. Bhaumik, director, IMI-Delhi.

Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), has already been given land by the Orissa government for its second campus in Khurda (15 km from the main campus). “The government of Orissa had said they would build a compound wall to the Khurda campus and hand it over to us,” says P.T. Joseph, director, XIMB. The institute also plans to open two new campuses in Bolangir and Sambalpur in Orissa. However, the state government is yet to sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the other two plots.

Similarly, Birla Institute of Management Technology (Bimtech), has been granted 30 acres of land by the Orissa government to set up a new campus in Bhubaneswar. “So far, we have registered the new campus and are finalising the design. With two specialised programmes, Faculty of Management and Faculty of Design, the first session is expected to start in June 2012,” says Harivansh Chaturvedi, director of Bimtech.

Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI University), which has eight campuses all over the country, is now adding new campuses in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Baddi (Himachal Pradesh), Guwahati, Indore and Bhubaneswar.  “This is not a new trend. For so long, the IIMs were at seven different locations and Xavier’s was at four different locations. Now, others are following,” says Koshy Verghese, secretary general, Federation of Universities, Hyderabad.

Does the above mean that BIMTech Bhubaneswar will have a program in Design.

3 comments June 21st, 2010

Past catches up with ICFAI in Orissa

Following are excerpts from a report in tathya.in.

After years of donkey work to set up a multi-disciplinary university in Odisha at an investment of Rs 150-200 crore, it has failed to take off. For last 4 years the technocrat is trying hard to set up the facility. Every thing was falling in line and the Government was moving with full speed to clear the ICFAI University Bill-2009 in the Odisha House. 

However Opposition Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan played spoil sport. 

While initiating discussion on the bill, lawmaker from Satyabadi charged the university is mired in controversy following a ruling by the Madras High Court for closure of the institute’s off-campus and study centres in Tamil Nadu. He also cited the ruling of the Andhra Pradesh High Court restraining ICFAI to award degree certificates.

Although the ICFAI was registered under Societies Act in 1984 in Andhra Pradesh for offering distance learning, it is yet to set up a university in the state. The society has two universities – one in Agartala and the other is at Dehra Dun. However, many off-campus and study centres of the two universities are operating in many states without approval of the University Grants Commission and respective governments. 

ICFAI is also running an off-campus centre in Bhubaneswar also, which came to light. 

Now the State Government has asked to close down the centre as it is running without the approval of the UGC. 

The ICFAI authorities have been asked to file affidavit on this count, said an official. 

With allegations coming to fore, even Chief Minister is also worried over the reputation of his government, said sources. When these allegations came out in the floor of the Assembly, Naveen Patnaik Government was on back foot. This is because the State Government signed the MOU with ICFAI on 20 March, 2007 without verifying the credentials. Samir Dey, the then Minister Higher Education was batting for the ICFAI University and took the lead in signing the MOU, said an officer. 

However now things are different and Debi Prasad Mishra, Minister Higher Education has made it clear that unless ICFAI authorities clear the allegations against them, it is unlikely that bill will be taken up once again in the House. 

So quietly the bill has been deferred for the next Assembly session, said an official. 

While the bill is yet to be cleared, ICFAI has already identified 53 acres of land for the university. The land has been identified close to Sum Hospital on the outskirts of the city.  Out of the total land area of 53 acres, ICFAI has got 11 acres of land registered for the university project. Now with the bill being dumped, fate of the proposed private university hangs in balance.

The article at http://www.careers360.com/news/3437-ICFAI-avoid-till-they-come-clean seems to give a clear picture of the mess ICFAI has gotten itself into.

My suggestion to ICFAI would be to start the various colleges in Orissa with appropriate permission. I.e., if it wanted to start an engineering college and management school then it should do that with AICTE approval and under BPUT. Similarly for medical, nursing, journalism, etc.; whatever it had plans for. Only after it has them up and running and with quality faculty, top-notch facilities and some nationally ranked colleges it should come back to the state for a university bill. Not before that!!

4 comments December 6th, 2009

ICFAI identifies 53 acres near SUM Hospital for its University in Bhubaneswar

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Hyderabad-based Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (Icfai), which is aiming to set up a multi-disciplinary university in Orissa at an investment of Rs 150-200 crore, has identified 53 acres of land for the university.

The land has been identified close to Sum Hospital on the outskirts of the city. Out of the total land area of 53 acres, Icfai has got 11 acres of land registered for the university project.

… The university project in Orissa has been marred by delay as the Icfai Private University Bill is yet to be introduced in the state legislative assembly.

The Icfai Private University Bill would be introduced soon in the forthcoming session of the Orissa legislative assembly, claimed Noorus.

Icfai had earlier announced that its proposed university in Orissa would be functional eighteen months after the Icfai Private University Bill became an Act.

The Icfai University in Orissa would have no management quota, NRI quota or capitation fee. The university would have strength of about 1,500 students and offer courses in various disciplines like engineering, management, law, science and humanities.

Apart from Orissa, Icfai is also setting up universities in other states across the country. States like Uttaranchal, Tripura, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Jharkhand have passed the legislations facilitating the establishment of Icfai universities.

The proposed Icfai universities in Uttaranchal and Tripura have received the approval of the University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 2 (f) of the UGC Act.

Other states like Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan have already issued letters of intent to Icfai for setting up universities.

The Orissa government needs to be careful with respect to ICFAI. Earlier this year there have been controversies regarding  its operation in Hyderbad and in Bangalore.

1 comment October 24th, 2009

Bills for three private state universities introduced in Orissa assembly; India has 42 such universities as of June 2009

Various reports (Economic Times,PTI) mention that Orissa government has introduced bills for three private universities. They are: Vedanta University, Sri Sri University and ICFAI University.

In this context it should be noted that the UGC currently (as of June 2009) recognizes 42 such private state universities in India. None of them are in Orissa. This list of 42 universities obtained from the UGC site http://www.ugc.ac.in/notices/updatedpriuniver.pdf is as follows:

CHHATTISGARH

1. Dr. C.V. Raman University, Kargi Road, Kota, Bilaspur.

2. MATS University, Arang Kharora Highway, Gram Panchayat: Gullu, Village: Gullu, Tehsil : Arang, District: Raipur.

GUJARAT

3. Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gandhinagar, Post Box No. 4, Gandhinagar-382 007.

4. Ganpat University, Ganpat Vidyanagar, Mehsana, Goazaria Highway, District Mehsana – 382 711

5. Kadi Sarva Vishwavidyalaya, Sarva Vidyalaya Campus, Sector 15/23, Gandhinagar.

6. Nirma University of Science & Technology, Sarkhej, Gandhinagar Highway, Village- Chharodi, Ahmedabad.

7. Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, At Raisan, Dist. Gandhinagar – 382 009.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

8. Chitkara University, HIMUDA Education Hub, Kallujhanda (Barotiwala), Distt. Solan, – 174103 Himachal Pradesh

9. Jaypee University of Information Technology, District-Solan-173 215.

MEGHALYA

10. Martin Luther Christian University, KIPA Conference Centre, Central Ward, Shillong – 793 001.

11. Techno Global University, Anita Mension Bishnupur, Lawsohtun Road, Shillong – 793004.

MIZORAM

12. The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University, Salem Veng, Chaltlang, Aizawal – 798 012.

NAGALAND

13. The Global Open University, Wokha – 797 111.

PUNJAB

14. Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar –Ludhiana, G. T. Road, Near Chehru Railway Bridge, Phagwara, District – Kapurthala – 144 002.

RAJASTHAN

15. Bhagwant University, Post Box No. 87, Sikar Road, Ajmer – 305 001.

16. Jagannath University, Village-Rampura, Tehsil-Chaksu, Jaipur.

17. Jaipur National University, Jagatpura, Jaipur.

18. Jyoti Vidyapeeth Women’s University, Vedant Gyan Valley Village, Jharna Matpala Jabner, Link Road NH-8, Jaipur.

19. Mewar University, Chittorgarh.

20. NIMS University, Shobha Nagar, Jaipur – 303 001.

21. Sir Padmapat Singhania University, Pacheribari, Jhunjhunu.

22. Singhania University, Pacheribari, Jhunjunu.

23. Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Mahal Jagatpura, Jaipur.

24. Jodhpur National University, Narnadi Jhanwar Road , Jodhpur -342001 ,Rajasthan.

25. Amity University, Rajasthan NH-11C,Kant Kalwar, Jaipur- 303002

SIKKIM

26. Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management University, Jorethang.

27. Sikkim- Manipal University of Health, Medical & Technological Sciences, Gangtok-737 101.

TRIPURA

28. Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI), Agartala – 799001.

UTTAR PRADESH

29. Amity University, NOIDA, (UP)

30. Integral University, Kursi Road, Lucknow-226 026.

31. Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, Chitrakoot Dham-210 204.

32. Mangalayatan University, Aligarh.

33. Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, Rampur.

34. Sharda University, Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P.

35. Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Delhi-Haridwar Byepass Road, Meerut.

36. Teerthanker Mahaveer Univesity, Delhi Road, Moradabad.

UTTRAKHAND

37. Dev Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Gayatrikunj, Shantikunj, Hardwar-249 411.

38. Doon University, Campus Office, 388/2, Indira Nagar, Dehradoon.

39. Himgiri Nabh Vishwavidyalaya (University in the Sky), Dehradun.

40. Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI), C-1/103, Indira Nagar, Dehradun-248 006.

41. University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Building No. 7, Street No. 1, Vasant Vihar Enclave, Dehradun-284 006.

42. University of Patanjali, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar.

In that document, after giving the list, the notice says the following:

These universities are competent to award degrees as specified by UGC under Section 22 of the UGC Act and with the approval of the statutory councils, wherever required through their main campus. Wherever the approval of the statutory council is not a pre-requisite to start a programme, the universities are required to maintain the minimum standards regarding academic and physical infrastructure as laid down by the concerned statutory council.

It is also informed that private universities cannot affiliate an institution/college. They cannot establish off campus centre(s) beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the concerned State. However, they can establish off-campus centre(s) within the concerned State after their existence of five years and with the prior approval of the University Grants Commission. So far, UGC has not approved any off campus centre(s) of any Private University.

Approval letters for course under distance mode should clearly state that the course has been approved by the Joint Committee UGC, AICTE and DEC and the approval letter should be jointly signed by Secretary UGC , Member Secretary, AICTE and Director, DEC as per the provision laid down under clause 9 of the MOU signed by UGC, AICTE and DEC.

Students/Public at large are advised to go through this website carefully before taking admission in any of the above State Private Universities and report the matter to Secretary, UGC on finding any violation of the above provisions.

Interestingly, none of the above are in the southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala) or Maharastra which took a huge lead in establishing engineering colleges.

July 25th, 2009

Orissa state cabinet approves bills for Vedanta, Sri Sri and ICFAI Universities

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

… The Bill for setting up Vedanta University was approved during the State Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The other two private universities approved by the Cabinet are the ones to be set up by Sri Sri Ravishankar Trust and Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI).

However, the Cabinet put some riders while approving Vedanta University Bill.

The provision for permitting the university to set up off-shore campus and centres was deleted from the Bill. This means no campus or centre of Vedanta University can be set up by the management outside Orissa. The decision was taken after perusal of the Supreme Court judgment in the Yashpal versus Chhattisgarh Government case. The land requirement for the university has been scaled down to 6,000 acres after largescale protest by the locals.

The Bills for Vedanta and Sri Sri Ravishankar universities were introduced in the last Assembly. However, the two Bills were not passed in view of large-scale protest against the establishment of Vedanta University. The Bills had lapsed along with the Assembly. The Cabinet decided to re-introduce the Bills now with some minor changes. While Vedanta and Sri Sri Ravishankar University Bills will be debated during the budget session, a decision on ICFAI Bill is yet to be taken.

The State Government has already identified 185.97 acres of land near Cuttack for setting up Sri Sri Ravishankar University. …

July 7th, 2009

ICFAI private university bill getting ready to be presented in the assembly

Following is from a report in Pioneer.

… The State Higher Education Department has brought up a proposal for an ICFAI University Bill to the State Cabinet for its approval on Sunday.

This will be the third private university Bill to be presented to the State Legislative Assembly. Earlier, the Vedanta University and Sri Sri University Bills were presented in the legislature and are pending for their approval. The next Assembly session will begin from February 9.

According to sources, the ICFAI, which signed an MoU with the State Government on March 20, 2007 to set up a World Class Multidisciplinary University, is waiting for an exclusive Act. The ICFAI will set up a core campus near Jatni to cater to the needs of 1,000 students.

Its disciplines include Basic Science, Humanities, Engineering, Business Management, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Law, Bio-Sciences, Environmental Science and Management, Tourism and Hospitality Management and Media and Mass Communication.

The university, which has also come up with an investment of Rs 150 crore, will promote research by setting up Centres of Excellence in its disciplines. It will be a fully residential campus for the students and faculty members.

1 comment February 1st, 2009

Universities and university like institutes in and around Bhubaneswar: a map

Update: The IIT site has been changed. So the new map is as follows:

Old map:

1 comment June 20th, 2008

Three international standard universities coming up in the state: Samaja

December 1st, 2007

IcfaiTech advertises for faculty positions in Samaja

November 7th, 2007

Groups interested in setting up of private universities in Orissa; land provided by Orissa to various universities

Pioneers reports on a reply in the Orissa state assembly regarding groups interested in setting up of private universities that have contacted the state government. Following are some excerpts.

The State Government on Thursday said the Government has already received proposals to set up six private universities in the State. These universities included the Vedanta University, Ravishankar University, ICFAI University, Barrister Ranjit Mohanty Law University, Amity University and SBM University.

… Higher Education Minister Samir Dey said Government is planning to introduce a bill to regulate the activities of the private universities.

He further said that all the private universities have to arrange the land for setting up their own campus. But in few cases, the State Government will provide lands to the private universities. He further said that 398.811 acres of land has been provided to Utkal University. Similarly, 250 acre of land to Berhampur University, 573.11 acre to Sambalpur University, 80.73 acre to FM University, 98.02 acre to North Orissa University, 1,674 acre to Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology and 100 acres of land have been provided to Jagannath Sanskrit University.

1 comment July 6th, 2007

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