Odisha HRD

Setting up of 6,000 Model Schools at Block level gets union cabinet’s nod: PIB

Following is from http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=44613.

The 123 educationally backward blocks in Orissa are (See also http://education.nic.in/mdm/EEBs.pdf for a bigger list):

November 7th, 2008

Vedanta University clips in youtube

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3B7L1S_MAY&fmt8
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6nGaBDh_JE

November 7th, 2008

Prof. Arun Pujari is joining as the new vice chancellor of Sambalpur University

Following is from a report in Kalinga Times.

Odisha Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare on Tuesday appointed Arun Kumar Pujari as the new Vice-Chancellor of Sambalpur University. The post was lying vacant since the resignation of U.C. Biswal.

Pujari, who has wide experience as an academician and academic administration, is at present serving in L.N. Mittal IIT, Jaipur as Professor of Computer Science.

Born in 1954, Pujari completed his post-graduation in Mathematics in 1974 from Sambalpur University and got his PhD from IIT, Kanpur in 1980.

He had written two books such as `Data Mining Techniques’ and `Database Management System’. At least 20 scholars have already or their PhDs under his guidance.

2 comments November 5th, 2008

XIM Bhubaneswar’s plans and status report

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

…XIMB had sought 60 acres of land from the Orissa government in Bhubaneswar for developing its second campus but the B-school’s plans was marred by inordinate delay on the part of the state government in allotment of land.

“We have already taken up the issue of allotment of land with the state chief minister, industries secretary and other relevant officials. However, we are yet to receive any communication from the state government on allotment of land”, Joseph clarified.

The institute was open to set up its second campus in alternative locations of the state like Cuttack and Khurda if land was unavailable in the city.

Meanwhile, it had also started scouting for private land in Cuttack and Khurda apart from within the city owing to delay in allotment of land by the state government and the B-school was aiming to take possession of the land by the end of this year.

The institute aimed to make its second campus operational by 2012 to mark the 25th year of formation of XIMB.

In another development, XIMB is set to roll out the part-time doctoral programme in management in its existing campus from the next academic session.

This programme is being designed for those work executives who cannot pursue full-time doctoral course in management.

…  At present, XIMB offers Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) with an intake of 15 participants every year.

…  XIMB had recently entered into a MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the US-based Eastern Michigan University for offering dual degree programmes to its students.

According to the MoU, the students of XIMB will spend two semesters at the Eastern Michigan University and they will be awarded certificates in post graduate programmes like MS degree in Information Systems and MS in Organisational Behaviour apart from the conventional MBA course.

XIMB is awaiting the approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for offering the dual degree programmes to its students.

With an annual intake of over 1,000 students, XIMB currently has tie-ups with ten overseas B-schools in Germany, France and Spain.

Talking to some people who are in the know, the govt. is trying to give 60 acres of land to XIMB for its second campus. The delay is due to several reasons, but the govt. is definitely trying. The possible location of this is near Naraj Mundali in the area called Ramdaspur. This is within a km or two of the Sri Sri University location. That area is slowly becoming a knowledge hub with the following proposed institutions:

• Sri Sri University, Govindpur (near Arilo), Naraj side
• National law school, Brajabiharipur, Cuttack side
• XIM Second campus, Ramdaspur, Naraj side
• Ravenshaw University second campus, Bidanasi, Cuttack side

3 comments November 4th, 2008

Orissa government to give 10,000 higher education scholarships of Rs 10,000/year on MCM basis to Engineering, Medical and Dental students

As of now there is no information or application forms in the website they mentioned should be in: http://www.orissa.gov.in/highereducation/index.htm

66 comments November 3rd, 2008

Children Education Assistance and Reimbursement of tution fee

Following is based on recommendation of the 6th pay commission; see http://india.gov.in/govt/paycommission.php. Its effective 1st Sept 2008. As per a report in Dharitri the Orissa government is also planning to implementing it for its state employees.

The above numbers can serve as a benchmark for the state and the country to aim to provide for similar amount for every child’s K-12 education. They can start with kids with BPL parents, making it part of R & R, requiring every organization with more than 20(?) employees to provide to all their employees’ children, etc.

1 comment November 3rd, 2008

Asian Institute of Public Health to come up in Orissa

Update 2: Telegraph also reports on it.

Update: A report in Hindu has some more details. Following are some excerpts:

AIPH is starting with small programmes such as Certificate in Public Health Management. The institute would be located over a 50-acre land near Jatni, on the outskirt of the capital city. Promoters of the institute plan to invest Rs. 15 crores immediately to start the programme with the help of some guest faculties from the USA.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, David J. Ramsay, president of University of Maryland, said “We will build different centres of excellence under the umbrella of AIPH. I have allocated matching funds in our efforts to secure financial support for infrastructure building. Very soon, AIPH will bring US-based faculty and experts to Orissa for teach, training and conducting research.”

AIPH Secretary Pinaki Panigrahi claimed the institute would be the first of its kind as India had 209 medical colleges whereas there was no full-fledged public health school. But in USA there were 129 medical schools and 33 public health institutes, he added. “The institute will prepare workforce to help formulate and implement health programmes in the country,” Dr. Panigrahi said.

The new institute has roped in several Indian-based teaching faculties as well as US-based experts to take forward different specialized programmes in its campus.

Among others AIPH President N. K Ganguly, who was former director-general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), was present on the occasion.

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

With disease burden not showing any signs of decline despite advancement in therapeutic sciences across the world, the focus of public health has shifted to prevention.

The future of a healthy society hinges on securing the populace from afflictions by way of inducing suitable changes in lifestyle and societal atmosphere and also, very importantly, increasing immunity through vaccination, said President of University of Maryland Baltimore, (UMB), USA, David J Ramsey today.

Ramsey told this paper that worldwide, intensive efforts are on to develop vaccines for diseases that have the greatest impact on the population and not on individuals. The UMB has already developed a vaccine for cholera, which is being successfully implemented in South American countries. Progress is being made in the efforts to formulate a vaccine for malaria, AIDS and several other prevalent diseases in the stateof- the-art facility at the University.

But the challenge lies in implementation of the interventions to check outbreaks. Public health is still not considered a different domain from medical or clinical streams in most parts of the world, particularly developing countries including India.‘‘

The realm of public health basically involves collating biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, and social and behavioural sciences so that prevention and treatment initiatives and policies would be well-directed and most effective,’’ the head of the prestigious institute said.

And, in an initiative aimed at strengthening the public health sector in India as well as the sub-continental countries by producing skilled professionals to carry out operational research to develop sustainable health-care delivery models, the Asian Institute of Public Health (AIPH), a partner of UMB, is set to take shape here from Sunday.

The first of its kind institute in the country, with support of the Orissa Government, would offer courses on Public Health Management, Management development programmes on ‘Surveillance, Epidemic Preparedness and Response’, ‘Biostatistics and Research Methodologies’, ‘Biomedical Waste Management and Handling’, ‘Good clinical Practice of Clinical research’ and ‘Emerging issues in public health’. The target scholars would include medical officers, AYUSH doctors, personnel from health agencies, Government health administrators, social scientists, corporate sector managers dealing with health programmes, paramedics, sanitation workers, NGOs, etc. The courses have been designed and be certified by UMB, AIPH secretary Dr Pinaki Panigrahi said.

The above articles do not mention the Indian Institutes of Public Health being built in India, three of which mention that they are offering post-graduate diploma starting fromn the 2008-09 session. Following is an excerpt.

The Indian Institutes of Public Health at Delhi, Gandhinagar, and Hyderabad would be offering the following Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) Programs in the academic year 2008-09:

IIPH, Delhi:	PGD in Health Economics and Policy
IIPH, Gandhinagar:	PGD in Public Health Management
IIPH, Hyderabad:	PGD in Biostatistics and Data Management

If done right the AIPH can surpass the IIPHs, mainly because a well known professor Dr. Pinaki Panigrahi is behind it and his university, The University of Maryland at Baltimore, is an active collaborator on this. The Orissa govt. may take advantage of the AIPH and push for an IIPH next to it. They have discussed with PHFI, but its plan (see here and here)  in Orissa is not clear.

Also, note that in the PHFI/IIPH model companies, state and the center (through PHFI) fund the IIPHs. Orissa government should help AIPH in a similar manner: contribute a similar amount, ask companies to contribute and ask the center to contribute. To get an idea of the PPP nature and the amount used to fund IIPH, following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.

Industry leaders came forward to pump in Rs. 30 crore to make Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), an arm of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), commence its first-ever postgraduate diploma course in biostatistics and data management from July this year.

The Union Government through PHFI had sanctioned Rs. 60 crore, while the State Government allotted 43 acres in Rajendranagar and sanctioned Rs. 30 crore for the IIPH. The new governing council assumed charge on Saturday. Addressing a press conference here, G.V. Krishna Reddy, chairman of the governing council, said he, along with G.V. Prasad of Dr. Reddy’s Labs, G. Mallikarjuna Rao of GMR Group, N. Prasad of Matrix Labs, B. Rama Raju of Satyam Group, and SriniRaju of iLabs, would together donate Rs. 30 crore. 

 

6 comments November 2nd, 2008

Orissa govt. ready to give land, water, road and electricity for free and wants IIT Bhubaneswar construction to start as soon as possible: Sambada

November 2nd, 2008

Cabinet approves South Asian University

Following is from the PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=44324.

The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for presenting the South Asian University Bill before the Parliament.

At the 13th SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, Prime Minister proposed the establishment of a South Asian University (SAU) to provide world-class facilities and professional faculty to students and researchers from SAARC member countries. An Inter-governmental Agreement for establishing the SAU was signed at the 14th SAARC Summit in April 2007. The SAARC member states also decided that the University will be established in India.

The establishment of the SAU in India would be the largest visible sign of transformation of SAARC from declaratory to implementation. It will also be the first international university to be set up in India. The University would have branches of learning in other SAARC member states. Its jurisdiction shall extend to whole of India and to campuses and centres established outside India in the SAARC region. It would have full functional autonomy, as per terms and conditions of the Inter-governmental Agreement of April 2007.

The SAARC member states have decided to set up a Project Office for the University that is being funded by India for two years. The Project office will be tasked to acquire land for the University, oversee its construction, draw up charter, byelaws, business plan, governance structure, course curricula etc. the Project office has started functioning on May 7, 2008, with premises identified near Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), appointment of Prof G.K.Chadha, as the CEO, and appointment of experts for the various tasks to assist the CEO, and appointment Directors to the Office of CEO. The Third Meeting of the Inter-governmental Steering Committee on October 20, 2008 will be appointing the Conveners to the Task Forces set up on these subjects.

The President and the Principal Officers would be from SAARC member states. The faculty and students would be mainly drawn from SAARC member states. The University shall grant the necessary diplomas, certificates and degrees, as it determines. It is expected to commence functioning in the second half of 2010, with 5,000 students and a postgraduate academic programme.

At the request of Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi Development Authority will be allotting 100 acres of land for the SAU at Maidan Garhi near Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The cost of the land (approximately Rs 75 crores) would be borne by the Ministry of External Affairs. Contribution on other expenditure would be decided by the SAARC member states at the necessary intergovernmental mechanisms based on the existing participatory approach.

A Draft South Asian University Bill has been finalized in consultation with the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law for development of the legal contours of the University, according to the terms and conditions of the Intergovernmental Agreement, including full functional autonomy, grant of degrees, holding of examinations, collaboration with other universities and certain privileges and immunities for itself and its officials, as accorded to all SAARC bodies, based on the UN Convention on Privileges and Immunities. Ministries of Finance, Home, Human Resource Development, Law, and University Grants Commission have been consulted on it. The Bill will be introduced in the current session in Parliament.

The realization of this prestigious project on schedule would be a visible manifestation of India’s asymmetric commitment to SAARC contributing to SAARC’s transformation to implementation phase.

October 31st, 2008

IIT JEE 2009

From the various IIT sites, such as http://www.iitg.ernet.in/jee/.

October 30th, 2008

Lot to learn from Andhra Pradesh

Following is from Business Standard.

After getting the approval from top-notch private institutes — including BITS Pilani, XLRI and Symbiosis — Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy has spoken to the managements of IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, to set up campuses in Hyderabad. It has also sent a proposal to the HRD ministry in this regard.

Reddy is understood to have spoken to the Chairman of IIM Bangalore’s governing council, Mukesh Ambani, to set up institute’s second campus in Hyderabad. Madireddy Pratap, Additional Secretary to the chief minister visited IIM Bangalore campus early this month and met the institute director Pankaj Chandra. The AP government is learnt to be gifting 100 acres of land towards this end.

“We have already got the approval of several top-ranked institutes in the country and are keen on bringing IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Bangalore in Andhra Pradesh. We have also spoken with the director of IISc Bangalore to set up their second campus here,” Pratap told Business Standard.

When contacted, Director of IIM-Bangalore Pankaj Chandra confirmed that officials from the Andhra Pradesh government had held discussions with him on establishing a campus in Hyderabad. “The Andhra Pradesh government has already sent a proposal for the same to the HRD ministry and is awaiting a response from them,” said Chandra.

Pratap further said the Andhra Pradesh government is working on offering 200 acres of land each to BITS and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), 40 acres to Symbiosis, 65 acres to Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), 90 acres to Narsee Monjee and 30 acres for IMT Ghaziabad to set up campuses in the state. He added the state would contribute in offering land, while the expense of setting up the campus would be borne by the institute.

The proposal assumes significance in the wake of the RC Bhargava committee’s observation that the IIMs should concentrate on expanding their presence within the country rather than abroad. It may be recalled that IIM Bangalore’s proposal to set up a campus in Singapore was shot down by the HRD ministry who asked them to change their Memorandum of Association (MoA). This might prompt IIM Bangalore to look at expanding within the country.

Institutes like IIM require an investment of around Rs 250-300 crore for a full-fledged campus. Similar is the case with private institutes. The BITS campus in Hyderabad, for instance, is being set up in an area of 200 acres and involves an investment of Rs 270 crore. Initially, the Hyderabad campus would induct 600 students but the intake is likely to go up to 2,500 in the next four years.

TIFR is planning to invest Rs 2,500 crore in the next 15 years in its proposed campus, which will come up at University of Hyderabad. Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has been granted land in Ranga Reddy district in Andhra Pradesh.

October 29th, 2008

Some GRE resources in the web

• http://www.greguide.com/index.html
• http://mati.eas.asu.edu:8421/p1000/gre_data/
• http:/www.ets.org/gre
• http://www.syvum.com/gre/
• http://www.testprepreview.com/gre_practice.htm
• http://www.english-test.net/gre/
• http://www.800score.com/gre-index.html
  
• http://amby.com/GRE/
• https://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/gre.htm

1 comment October 28th, 2008

Andhra Pradesh plans at least one university in each of its 23 districts

Following is an excerpt from a report in expressbuzz.

Detailing the steps being taken to develop the education system in the State, he said a university in each district, five medical colleges across the State, IIT and BITS near Hyderabad and law colleges were being set up.

Orissa should do the same with respect to its undivided 13 districts.

October 28th, 2008

Mission and vision of Sri Sri University

Following is from http://www.srisriuniversity.org/.

Taking care of the future

  Sri Sri University is conceptualized on a vision of Holistic Inspired Education that aims to ready its students for the demands of the Industry and market economy, along with making them into well rounded human beings. Sri Sri University intends to do this by giving them deep roots in the supple and fertile earth of Indian Value Systems, its cultural history and philosophy while helping them look beyond the horizon towards a Global Perspective.

By doing this we hope to give them the strong foundation that they will need to grow sturdy and rise above the milling forest of humanity and be able to give shade to the teeming billions of tomorrow. In them we do not just see tomorrow’s richest but tomorrow’s leaders and pillars of society on whose shoulders the world of the future will be built.

Industry Relevant Courses

Higher education is critical to India’s aspirations of emerging as a major player in the global knowledge economy. The global competitiveness of Indian industry and also its employment generation potential is clearly dependent on availability of required skills and trained personnel. Higher education trains people to take up different economic roles in society and spurs technological innovation that drives economic growth.

After China and the USA,India has the third largest higher education system in the world. Given the sheer number of qualified professionals India produces, the possibility of finding people with the right skill sets should have been a lot stronger than it is in reality. But companies are finding it increasingly difficult to get the right talent, especially at the middle-management level. Only a small fraction of the qualified labor force can be considered suitable for employment in companies operating in the global arena.

This low employability could be attributed partly to the mismatch between the industry requirements and the academic curricula of most of the professional colleges.

 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision is to TRANSFORM THROUGH EDUCATION and this is specially kept in mind while putting together a curriculum of Global Standards in the Sri Sri University. Therefore, along with courses that will help the students to be "industry-ready" and make their mark on a Global platform, it will also provide them with all means of self-improvement – like access to yogic philosophy, Art of Living Courses in self realization and conflict resolution, etc. which will make them well rounded Global Citizens.

The Mission of the University is: 

• To create, preserve and at the same time disseminate knowledge and understanding by teaching; research, training and extension activities by effective demonstration and influence; and to create centers of excellence for providing knowledge, education, training and research facilities of high order in the field of science, technical and other related professional education as per its current status and such other means as may develop in future, including continuing education.
• To develop training facilities in higher education including professional education and allied fields; provide for inter-relationships for national and global participation in the field of arts, commerce and science and technology and other fields.
• To function as learning resource centre.
• To provide for arrangement for national and global participation in the field of higher and professional education including technical education.
• To establish close associations with industry.
• To make teaching, research and training at the university relevant to the needs of the economy at a national and global level.
• To affiliate colleges with similar objects or willing to adopt similar objects in and outside the state to further the cause of higher learning with modern and global teaching techniques university may adopt time to time
• To Institute 44 courses in next 5 years across disciplines.
• To have 8 fully functional and completely equipped departments in next 10 years.
• To initially admit approximately 350 students and approximately 3000 students by its fifth year
• To Employ 35 faculty members in its first year and 145 by its 5th year.  

The choice of courses in the Sri Sri University Curriculum will be guided by these factors:

1.  Growth in economic sectors, potential for employment within the sectors and commercially viability of the course.
2. Current and anticipated demand trends for specific courses.
3. These are not linked to any specific economic sector. 
4. Inspirations from His Holiness and foreseeable needs for further development of the state of Orissa.
5. Certification Courses that are of short duration and impart quick and marketable skills.

Sixteen major sectors of the Indian economy were examined. They are:

i.          Automobile

ii.        Banking and Financial Services

iii.        Construction

iv.        Electronic Components and Assemblies

v.        Health Care

vi.        Insurance

vii.      Textile and Apparels

viii.     Retail Services

ix.      Telecom Services

x.       Transport Services – Shipping and Ports

xi.       Transport Services – Railways

xii.      Transport Services – Civil Aviation

xiii.     Transport Services – Roads & Highways

xiv      IT / ITES / BPO

xv.      Machinery and Equipment

xvi.     Media and Entertainment 

For each of the above sectors the following aspects were considered:

  •    The size of the sector and its growth rate
  •    Key trends in the sector
  •    Projected employment

Projected sector growth rate was mapped to the projected employment growth rate. Based on this analysis, the high employment and growth sectors were chosen and courses were instituted according to what was felt would fulfill their needs.

Emphasis on soft skills and values   

In the 21st Century every young individual stepping into the “Professional World”, pursues one common goal: Success And Money. From the first day these young minds get busy mapping out their roads, lanes and bye-lanes to the very top.

Lost in this rat race, busy running at their best speed to achieve the materialistic pleasures of our age, they lose out on what some consider the most important qualities of life: Peace of Mind, Ethics, Moral Values and Connection to their fellow being. Lost in the Machinations of life, they forget their place in the bigger scheme of things whether in the corporate world, in the families or even in the universe at large.

Can they really be blamed for following what they have been taught by the world around them, when the media and socio-political structure of our societies preach the creed of materialism? Where will they, our nation’s future, learn to follow the path of higher and finer values?

Corporate houses spend huge amount of money to impart soft skills in their work force which they think will help their employees to:

a)  manage their own emotions
b)  manage relationships
c)  take responsibility of their own actions

Short term courses on soft skills do not change the attitude but just give an idea about them instead. It then depends on the person to practice and bring about the change. Building the course in curriculum will provide ample time and opportunities to bring about lasting shift.

Sri Sri University is fully conscious of its social responsibility to contribute towards the education that shape personalities in such a way that in the students, we do not just see tomorrow’s richest, but tomorrow’s leaders, and pillars of society on whose shoulders the world of the future will be built.

Sri Sri University intends to provide World-Class Holistic Education to its students which will facilitate Cognitive, Physical, Emotional, Social and Spiritual Growth. Its Philosophy on Education revolves around the overall development of a student and not merely academic excellence. The salient features of this philosophy are:

1.    Be Child-centered, Culture and Tradition Rooted
 2.    Key trends in the sector
 3.    Integrate Love, Care and Compassion into the Education Process
 4.    Be Curiosity Driven rather than Information Based
 5.    Instill Self Esteem and Creativity
 6.    Individual Attention, based on the Uniqueness of Each Individual
 7.    Interactive Class-room Processes & Experiential Field Trips
 8.    Discipline through Self-Awareness
 9.   Teachers as Facilitators, not Instructors
10.    Environment Develops Interest, Skill and Likings in the Student
11.    Cordial and Friendly Teacher-Student Relationship Emphasis on soft skills and values

Benchmarks   

      The trend in Indian Education is for large sections of under-graduate and post-graduate students to leave the country for what is perceived as more integrated education in foreign shores. Even though a lot of initiative has been taken in the recent past in terms of private education, public opinion is still swayed by what they believe as the non reliability factor of unconventional private degrees.

     To gain confidence of this sector, Sri Sri University intends to become a centre of Excellence matching International Standards in Education with participation of industries which are globally present and with academic experts from developed countries.

     The Sri Sri University will match the best standards of the higher education sector for deeper penetration of information and individualized training and comfort for faculty and students alike. Some of them are:

Library                            10 books per students
Printer                             1 for every 10 students and 1 for each faculty
Computer                        1 for every 3 students and 1 for each faculty
Space;                            150 sq ft for each student in academic area
Students-teacher ratio       20 : 1
Journals per college           22
Workshop / seminars per academic year per discipline            54

Academic Facilities   

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision is to TRANSFORM THROUGH EDUCATION, and this is specially kept in mind while putting together a curriculum of Global Standards in Sri Sri University.

Therefore, to facilitate its courses the following facilities are provided:

•  Advanced laboratories
•  Extensive libraries
•  Student centers
•  Technically advanced teaching aids
•  Alumni association
•  Hostels
•  Hospital
•  Housing and guest house
•  Templeof knowledge
•  Transportation
•  Sports complex
•  Meditation hall
•  Residential complexes
•  Married students accommodation
•  Advanced communication and data management systems
•  Community centre
•  Art and creativity centre

October 26th, 2008

More details emerging on Sri Sri University

At present there are two Sri Sri entities in Orissa:

• Sri Sri Institute of Management Studies in Bhubaneswar
• Sri Sri University

The first one offers the following courses:

1. Post Graduate Diploma in Bussiness Management    (2 Years)
2. Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication        (2 Years)
3. Post Graduate Diploma in Government                      (1 Year  )
    The first two courses run for about 20 months each while third is 1 year course. A wide range
    of meaningful and purposeful elective subjects are offered in each of them.

The second one is the real deal. (I guess at some point the first one may become an extension center of the second one.)

Following is the layout map of the Sri Sri University, near Naraj overlooking Kathajodi river.

Currently the following programs are planned to be offered by the Sri Sri University.

Under Graduate and Post Graduate Courses 

Contemporary Courses
These courses have a good demand in the market and are likely to be well received in the future due to the demand-supply gap. They are a mix of courses that have traditionally enjoyed a good demand (e.g. engineering and law) as well as those that would be successful in catering to the requirements of an increasingly liberalized modern economy e.g. entrepreneurship.

Inspirations from His Holiness
These courses cover a wide expanse of knowledge. On the one hand they include courses in Indology, Ayurveda and Vedic Sciences, while on the other they include courses for Advanced Research in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. This versatility is in keeping with the holistic philosophy of the University and what it hopes to achieve. This series of courses also includes courses in Government, which The University believes will help turn out future leaders for Orissa, India and the World.

School of Management
2 Years Degree courses in Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, and Banking and Finance.

School of Law
5 Years Undergraduate Degree course in Law.

School of Government
2 Years Post Graduate Degree course in Government.

School of Cultural Studies
2 Years Post Graduate Degree course in Tourism and Indology.

School of Engineering
4 years Undergraduate Degree courses in Electronics and Telecommunications, Computer Sciences, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation, Electronics and Electrical Engineering and Civil Engineering.  

School of Biotechnology
2 Years Post Graduate Degree courses in Pharmacology and Biotechnology.  

School of Sciences
2 Years Post Graduate Degree courses in Textile Designing and Transportation.  

School of Ayurveda
4 Years Post Graduate Degree courses for Research in Ayurveda.

School of Vedic Sciences
4 Years Post Graduate Degree courses for Research and Development on Vedic Science.  

School of Research Sciences
4 Years Post Graduate Degree courses for Research in Advanced Physics, Research in Chemistry and Research in Mathematics

The University also offers various certificate courses for the students. These would generate qualified employable individuals in a short period of time. They are also expected to be cost effective. These courses are projected to increase from 5 in the Second Year to 14 by the Fourth Year. Emphasis on soft skills and values

A student at the Sri Sri University would be able to aim for a certificate in the following subjects:

·         German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, French

·         Computer Application, Multimedia and Graphic Animation, Computer Hardware Technology and  Web Designing

·         Welding, Electrician, Plastic Technology                                         

Following is from the web page of Sri Sri University, which gives a broader picture of the vision.

Formal education trains people to take up different roles in the society in pursuit of economic growth and social order. With the Indian industry poised to take off as a global economic power, the demand for skilled youth to guide and carry on this pursuit can not be underestimated. Paradoxically, it is confronted with an ever increasing number of educated youth, with mismatched skill-sets: youth with an abundance of technical knowledge but clearly lacking in focus on inner joy, initiative and creativity.

Sri Sri University is an international initiative to address this anomaly by developing tomorrow’s leaders, managers of change, trained to the industry requirements, with an attitude and skill-set transcending specific disciplines. Inspired by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, students will look beyond their own limitations and share bigger responsibilities as worthy citizens and brim with confidence. In them we may see not just the smartest, but the leaders, the pillars of society on whose shoulders the future world will be built – Truly global citizens with traditional and moral niceties, broadening the vision… deepening the roots.       

     Under the aegis of the Art of Living, through its educational arm Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya   Mandir Trust (SSRVM Trust), Sri Sri University, situated on the serene banks of the Kathjori River near    Cuttack in Orissa, India, will be a multi-disciplinary university matching international standards on   education. Amply responsive to the industry requirements and committed to all-round development of   students’ personality and value systems, it will nurture professionals with relevant information, updated skill-sets and an attitude for understanding their social responsibilities and leadership roles in all walks of life. 

    As part of the overall university initiative, it is also proposed to set-up a separate world-class MedicalCollege within the campus to produce qualified doctors with a deeper sense of commitment and responsibility towards this noble service. The college shall also have an adjacent Super-speciality Hospital with the latest state-of-the-art facilities and equipments to facilitate total practical experience to the students to complement the excellent theoretical education, and also to provide comprehensive treatment facilities for the needy from far and wide.

1 comment October 26th, 2008

Health Minister’s status report in the Lok Sabha on the AIIMS-like institutes

Following is from http://164.100.24.209/newls/textofdebatedetail.aspx?sdate=10/23/2008.

श्री राम कृपाल यादव (पटना)  :  उपाध्यक्ष महोदय, मैं आपके माध्यम से माननीय स्वास्थ्य मंत्री जी का ध्यान आकर्षित करना चाहता हूं। पूरे देश में छह अखिल भारतीय अनुसंधान संस्थान (एम्स) खोलने की बात हुई थी। मेरे संसदीय क्षेत्र पटना में भी एम्स खोलने की बात कही गई थी। दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण स्थिति है कि लगभग पांच साल पहले इसका काम शुरू हुआ था, लेकिन आज तक केवल चाहरदीवारी का ही निर्माण हुआ है। शिलान्यास के समय एम्स को कार्यरूप में शुरू करने के लिए वर्ष 2009 तक का समय रखा गया था। बिहार में कोई भी उत्कृष्ठ अस्पताल नहीं है। इस कारण दिल्ली के एम्स अस्पताल में 60 परसेंट बिहार के लोग अपना इलाज करवाने आते हैं। बिहार में गरीबी है, फटेहाली है इस कारण कई लोग इलाज कराने के लिए दिल्ली आ भी नहीं पाते हैं। बिहार के लोगों को स्वास्थ्य लाभ लेने के लिए बहुत दिक्कतों का सामना करना पड़ता है। अगर बिहार में एम्स अस्पताल खुल जाएगा, तो न सिर्फ बिहार के लोगों को, बल्कि बिहार से सटे नेपाल, असम तथा आसपास के इलाकों के लोग भी लाभांवित हो सकेंगे। कई बार हमने सदन के माध्यम से माननीय मंत्री जी का ध्यान आकर्षित कराया है। आश्वासन मिलने के बावजूद भी आज तक इस बारे में तेज रफ्तार से काम नहीं हो रहा है। पता नहीं यह काम कितने वर्षों में पूरा होगा।

उपाध्यक्ष महोदय : आपने अपनी बात कह दी है। अब आप समाप्त कीजिए।  You are now repeating the same thing.

श्री राम कृपाल यादव (पटना)  : कई लोगों के पास दिल्ली इलाज के लिए आने के लिए भाड़े के पैसे नहीं होते हैं। मंत्री जी यहां बैठे हैं, मैं आपके माध्यम से माननीय मंत्री जी से कहना चाहता हूं कि वे इस बारे में उत्तर दें कि कब से काम शुरू होगा और कब काम खत्म होगा। बिहार जैसे गरीब देश में लोगों को इलाज कराने में बहुत परेशानी होती है।

SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Sir, hon. Minister is here.  He should reply not only to the hon. Member’s question but other questions also.  I have asked a number of questions.

MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: I cannot compel the Minister to reply.

THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. ANBUMANI RAMADOSS): Sir, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana the Government of India intends to start six new AIIMS like institutions in States like  Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh.  The CCA had given approval only in 2006.  Since then we have been going through a lot of process.  One tender was un-responsive.  Another tender was a single bidder.  We had to go through the project management consultants.  In all we have to go through a lot of process and there was a delay.  I accept the responsibility for delay on part of my Ministry.  Nevertheless, I had again asked them to quicken the process.  Finally, I could say that the construction work has started in five out of six AIIMS like institutions, including Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan.  Except Bhopal, work at other five sites has already begun and at Bhopal the work will start in the beginning of November.

          I categorically assure that the work has started and the entire construction work will be over in another two-and-a-half to three years and it will be fully functional.  Not only that, we also want to upgrade some more institutions in Northern part of the country.  We have added some more institutions, which again after getting the approval we will inform the hon. House.

SHRI J.M. AARON RASHID (PERIYAKULAM): Sir, since the hon. Minister belongs to Tamil Nadu, he should see to it that Tamil Nadu also has such an institution.

SHRI P.S. GADHAVI (KUTCH): Sir, I would like to raise a very important issue concerning my constituency regarding the development of Jakhau Fishery Harbour Project.… (Interruptions)

श्री राम कृपाल यादव (पटना)  : महोदय, मैं स्वास्थ्य मंत्री जी को तमाम राज्य के लोगों की तरफ से धन्यवाद देना चाहता हूं, जिनको इन्होंने उपहार देने का काम किया है। स्वाईं जी आप भी मंत्री जी को धन्यवाद दे दीजिए।

श्री खारबेल स्वाईं (बालासोर)  : मैं कई बार मंत्री जी को धन्यवाद दे चुका हूं।

Orissa should push for the upgradation of MKCG Medical college to the level of an AIIMS.

1 comment October 25th, 2008