Update on the proposed world class central universities

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

The Centre is set to approve a proposal soon to start 14 world-class central universities across the country, … , in an ambitious bid to catch up with the West’s higher education standards.

The proposal for the universities, enunciated in the Eleventh Five Year Plan, will be placed before the cabinet on Thursday and is expected to be cleared soon, top government officials said.

Cabinet recognition is required to formally begin work on the proposal.

The universities will, like other central universities, be funded by New Delhi, but will have the additional mandate of competing in standards with globally renowned varsities like Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge, sources said.

“We expect the cabinet to clear the proposal soon, ideally in one sitting itself. We do not anticipate any opposition,” a senior official at the human resource development ministry said.

Pune, Calcutta, Coimbatore, Mysore, Visakhapatnam, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, Kochi, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati and Greater Noida have been selected as places where the universities will come up.

“Each of the state governments concerned have identified 700 acres of land. But they cannot begin land acquisition till the cabinet clears the plan,” a source said.

The HRD ministry expects each university to cost over Rs 720 crore, putting the total price tag for the venture at a minimum of Rs 10,080 crore.

Once the cabinet clears the proposal, the HRD ministry plans to hurry through the construction of infrastructure in a bid to try and start academic sessions for “most” of the institutes by 2009, sources said.

“We have been given a clear political indication to get things ready for the launch of the universities by the next academic session,” a source said.

Each campus will have four schools — of engineering, medicine, humanities and sciences — sources said.

Each of the four schools will be built along the lines of India’s best institutions in their field. Unlike existing central varsities, the new centres will focus more on cutting-edge research across streams than on teaching, sources said.

Add comment July 30th, 2008

Orissa offers land for NID and makes a new proposal: Samaja and tathya

Add comment July 29th, 2008

HHI Hotel Management School in Bhubaneswar

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hospitality Biz India.

In a bid to equip the Indian hospitality industry with manpower, Hotel Hindustan International (HHI) group of hotels is setting up a hotel management institute in Bhubaneswar. This will be the branch of HHI’s already existing institute called Regency HHI Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology in Varanasi.

DK Jaiswal, Chairman and Managing Director, HHI group of hotels, says, “Indian hospitality’s future lies in not only the premium properties, but mainly in the three to four-star category budget hotels. With a great demand of rooms all over the country, Indian hospitality business requires an enormous number of skilled professionals. We therefore, plan to churn out more manpower for the industry.”

The HHI Institute in Varanasi, according to Jaiswal, teaches aspirants as per global hospitality standards. “As we generally try to absorb the professionals in all our present and up coming properties across India, we try to teach them according to our benchmark which is based on global standards and accepted by most of the hospitality giants present in India,” adds Jaiswal. The Regency HHI institute started its operation about three years back and has been looking after the manpower capacity for all existing HHI properties in Kolkata, Varanasi and Bhubaneswar.  …

The upcoming institute in Bhubaneswar will have the regular three years degree courses on hotel management and catering technology. It will cater to 100 students per session. According to Jaiswal, the institute will start its operation from next year with a skilled group of professors. “We will lay emphasis on more practical knowledge rather than just theory,” says Jaiswal.

Add comment July 28th, 2008

Nominations invited for new IIT directors

Following is an excerpt from a news report in Pragativadi.

The Centre is in the lookout for for the eight new premier institutes of technology (IITs), six of which are set to start in the current academic session and the remaining from 2009-10.

The eight new IITs which are coming up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.

The Union Cabinet recently approved establishment of eight new IITs with an estimated cost of Rs 6,080 crore.

The government had also approved creation of 30 faculty posts per year in the first three years of  establishment of each of the new IITs, besides approving posts of a director and registrar. The directors, as per the public notice issued by the ministry, would be appointed after obtaining the approval of competent authority, based on the recommendations of the search-cum-selection committees.  …

The aspirants for the post of directors can send their applications directly to the ministry, while the eminent persons can also nominate candidates and send their recommendations to the selection committee.
Even bureaucrats and officials of the public sector undertakings (PSUs) with requisite experience and qualification can apply for the post of directors through official channel, the notice said.

Add comment July 28th, 2008

Foundation stone laid for engineering college in Berhampur; classes to start next year

Following is an excerpt from a report in Odisha Today.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday laid foundation stone for a degree Engineering college with an estimated cost of Rs 6 cr covering around 15 acres of land at Sitalapalli near Berhampur.

Following is from Samaja.

Following is from Dharitri.

Add comment July 27th, 2008

ISI Kolkata opens a research center in Chennai

Following is an excerpt from a news report in Thaindian.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday opened the third centre of excellence of the Indian Statistical Institute here. The two other centres are in Bangalore and New Delhi, with the main institute being in Kolkata.

Add comment July 27th, 2008

104 students get admitted to IIT Bhubaneswar

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

Over 100 civil, electrical and mechanical engineering students of IIT Bhubaneswar will start their classes on the IIT Kharagpur campus.

The Bhubaneswar institute is one of the six IITs opening this year, but a site for the institute has not yet been finalised in the Orissa capital.

“The Centre has asked us to do the hand-holding. We will hold their classes on our campus till the IIT Bhubaneswar campus is ready,” said Damodar Acharya, the IIT Kharagpur director who is the acting head of the Bhubaneswar institute.

…  We have the facilities to accommodate all the 104 (Bhubaneswar) students. We did not want to arrange for separate classes or laboratories for them, like the other IITs, as we wanted them to be exposed to the world-class facilities available here,” Acharya told a news conference today.

These students will, however, get their degrees from Bhubaneswar.

“We have chosen a few sites for the IIT,” said Orissa industries minister Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

According to the Centre’s specifications, 600 to 1,000 acres are required to set up an IIT. The site should also be close to an airport, railway station and national highway. Besides, two million gallons of water should be available every day.

Last month, a two-member team from IIT Kharagpur inspected a few sites in and around Bhubaneswar.

A senior official of the Orissa industries department said a 900-acre plot near Banki, 62km from Bhubaneswar airport and close to the Mahanadi, was judged the most suitable site.

Acharya said the government would allot 40 faculty members for the additional students.

On a related note there is an excellent article about recruiting faculty for the new IITs by Prof. Pankaj Jalote of IIT Delhi. Prof. Abinandan adds to it in his blog post.

2 comments July 24th, 2008

New campus for Institute of Mathematics & Applications (IMA) inaugurated in Bhubaneswar

Following is an excerpt from a report in Statesman.

The new campus of Institute of Mathematics and Applications inaugurated here today was, in many ways, an idea conceptualised by chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik and a reflection of the fact that ‘Tata Steel was as much a state of mind as a corporate house’.

It is spread over 23 acre and laid out from spiral lines of the golden equation. Mathematical equations apart, the institute’s golden formula is not only to become a world class centre of excellence but also to train and teach rural tribal students. From conceptualisation to construction, it had taken just three years.

Inaugurating the institute campus, the CM praised Tata Steel for having contributed to the development of the institute and architect Mr Karan Grover. "We are committed to make this a world class institute," he asserted.
"Bhubaneswar has become a hub for education be it engineering colleges, management institutes, the IIIT, NISER or the IIT," he said. "Very soon I will hold a meeting with mathematicians and others to get a proper feedback on the problems and lacunae as well as to get ideas on developing this institute, from international quarters," he informed.

An Odisha Today report has some more information.

The institute will also have facilities like computer labs, class rooms, library rooms as well as residential accommodations for the faculty and researchers.

The campus of this institute has been built in 7000 sq metre complex, with an investment of Rs.140 million.

As many as 96 students can undertake higher research in mathematics.

Note: 7000 sq metre = 75600 sq feet.

See http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/214 to compare IMA with the size of NISER.

1 comment July 24th, 2008

New ITIs and mini-tool rooms in the cards: Samaja

Add comment July 23rd, 2008

IIT Bhubaneswar first year students status at IIT Kharagpur

As per the details at http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/topfiles/welcome.php the IIT Bhubaneswar students will be staying mostly in MMM Hall (females in MT Hall). MMM Hall is the largest hostel at IIT Kharagpur and it will also house IIT Kharagpur students.

For classes the 100+ IIT bhubaneswar students will be divided into all the 12 sections; so they will have their section mates as IIT Kharagpur students.

Add comment July 22nd, 2008

17+1 New Engineering Colleges in Orissa that are admitting students this year through BPUT counseling

Update on August 31, 2008: Subas institute of Technology, Barang starts admitting students from August 29th in the OSGE (Outside state general) category.

The following is obtained by looking at the counseling list at http://www.jeeorissa.com/availability_of_seats.asp.

• Apex Institute of Technology & Management, Pahal Bhubaneshwar (APT) Pvt.
• Bhubaneswar Engineering College Khurda (BEC) Pvt.
• Black Diamond College of Engineering & Technology Jharsuguda (BDC) Pvt.
• BRM International Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (BII) Pvt.
• Centurian Institute of Technology Khurda (CIK) Pvt.
• Gandhi Institute of Industrial Technology Berhampur (GII) Pvt.
• Gandhi Institute of Science and Technology Rayagada (GIR) Pvt.
• Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management Khurda (GIK) Pvt.
• Gurukul Institute of Technology,Janla Bhubaneswar (GKT) Pvt.
• Hi-Tech Institute of Technology Khurda (HIT) Pvt.
• Indic Institute of Design & Research Khurda (IID) Pvt.
• Kalam Institute of Technology, Berhampur Berhampur (KIB) Pvt.
• Koustav Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (KIT) Pvt.
• Maharaja Institute of Technology,Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (MIK) Pvt.
• Modern Engineering & Management Studies Balasore (MEM) Pvt.
• Modern Institute of Technology & Management Khurda (MIM) Pvt.
• Vignan Institute of Technology & Management Berhampur (VIT) Pvt.

The above 17 colleges include 11 colleges in the Bhubaneswar-Khurda-Cuttack area, 3 in Berhempur area, 1 in Balasore, 1 in Jharsuguda and 1 in Rayagada. This takes the total number of engineering colleges, that admit students via BPUT JEE,  to 58. It does not include ITER, KIIT, NIT Rourkela, IIIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Bhubaneswar, CIPET and Agricultural Engineering at OUAT.

32 comments July 19th, 2008

IIT Bhubaneswar first off the block

As the readers know eight new IITs are being established in India. They are: IIT Bhubaneswar (mentored by IIT Kharagpur), IIT Hyderabad (mentored by IIT Madras), IIT Rajasthan (mentored by IIT Kanpur), IIT Bihar (mentored by IIT Guwahati), IIT Punjab (Mentored by IIT Delhi), IIT Gandhinagar (mentored by IIT Bombay),  IIT Himachal Pradesh (mentored by IIT Roorkee) and IIT Indore (mentored by IIT Bombay). Of these the first six will start classes this year.

The following news mentions that of the six that will start classes this year, admission to IIT Bhubaneswar will start on July 23rd and classes will start immediately after that, while admission to the other IITs will start next month. (Note that classes  at IITs start immediately after admission.) Big thanks to the mentor institution IIT Kharagpur for this. This action is in line with our arguments on advantages of IIT Bhubaneswar over the other new IITs. Following is an excerpt on this from a news item in Economic Times.

Admission to the Bhubaneswar IIT, which is among the six new ones to come up this year, will begin on July 23 at the Kharagpur IIT here, sources said.

120 students will get admission to the new IIT this year and Kharagpur IIT director Damodar Acharya will be its coordinator, they said.

Faculty will be exchanged between the two IITs as and when required and all cooperation and academic support will be extended by the Kharagpur IIT, which is the nearest, in the initial stages, the sources said.

Admission to the rest of the five new IITs would begin next month.

Following is an excerpt from Pioneer’s report on this.

"We will ensure that from day one students feel they are studying in an IIT," Professor Acharya said. The IIT Orissa was also registered under the Society Registration Act in the office of IG in Cuttack on Saturday.

1 comment July 19th, 2008