Odisha HRD

List of Engineering Colleges in Orissa

Following is a list of engineering colleges in Orissa which I earlier compiled at http://orissalinks.com.

Continue Reading 52 comments May 31st, 2007

List of Universities in Orissa

Following is a list of existing and proposed universities in Orissa which I earlier compiled in https://www.orissalinks.com.

Continue Reading 3 comments May 31st, 2007

Post Class X ads (junior colleges; plus two science; plus two commerce)

With the Class X result out there have many many ads for various plus 2; most of them for plus 2 sc. Following is a collection of the ads that I came across. An earlier list is at http://www.orissawatch.org/?p=182.

Continue Reading May 30th, 2007

Plus 2 Science Colleges

During the last several years several new plus two science colleges have opened in Orissa; especially in the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack area. Here is an attempt to make a list for the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack area, as I am more familiar with it. (I will appreciate if the readers can point to the ones I am missing so that we can create a more comprehensive list.) I start with the plus two programs that have been there for some time.

Continue Reading 59 comments May 19th, 2007

Talking points and documents that make a case for an IIT in Orissa: point-counterpoint

Documents that make our case for an IIT in Orissa.

* A collection of points and counterpoints regarding making a case for an IIT in Orissa. (pdf,2MB)(word document, 500kb)
* Compilation of news items (9 MB): http://iitorissa.googlepages.com/Binder1.pdf
* Digambara Patra’s compilation of national labs distribution across India: http://iitorissa.googlepages.com/state_wise_national_lab.pdf

Now the article: “IIT in Orissa: talking points”

Following are some points that can be used to convince the other MPs, the PM, the planning commission etc. that the issue of an IIT in Orissa is an extremely important one; it has caused a lot of strife in Orissa; and appropriate amendments must be made at the earliest.

Continue Reading 3 comments April 27th, 2007

Infocities and the engineering college clusters around them.

Pragativadi reports on Infocity 2 that is being planned between Bhubaneswar and Khurda close to NH 5. Close to that area are several exisiting and some upcoming engineering colleges. The existing ones include GITA, CV Raman and MIET. Among the upcoming ones is the Bhubaneswar Institute of Technology proposed to be established by a group of NRIs that includes reputed US based computer science professors Rabi Mahapatra, Laxmi Bhuyan and Prasant Mohapatra.

In 5-10 years or may be sooner the area around Infocity 2 could become like the hot area around Infocity 1 which has also many engineering colleges such as KIIT, KISD, CEB, Silicon,Trident and CIPET. However, the colleges around Infocity 1 are more close to each other than the ones around the proposed Infocity 2.

1 comment April 26th, 2007

Frequently asked Questions related to the current movement towards an IIT in Orissa

1. Why this FAQ?

When one brings up the topic of establishing an IIT in Orissa MHRD officials, ministers and spokesperson, and even many technical education committee members sometimes retort back: “Why does it matter where an IIT is located as students from any where in India, including from Orissa, can study in an IIT.”

Until recently, I thought it was just some thing said and not really meant by the MHRD officials or the technical education committee members. However, a recent exchange of emails with one of the most well respected technologists of India, Mr. K, makes it clear that many influential people in decision making roles sincerely believe that it does not matter where an IIT is located as students from any where in India can study in an IIT. This misconception needs to be cleared up, as otherwise, as we argue below, it will further worsen the existing inequities in India.

Many in Orissa also question why one should focus on getting an IIT to Orissa when there are several other pressing issues in Orissa. In this FAQ we try to address these and related questions.

Continue Reading 4 comments April 22nd, 2007

Mail to CMO: looking out for all of Orissa in the HRD front

Dear Friends:

Its time to convey to the Orissa government that they need to look out for all of Orissa and not just BBSR/CTC/Puri areas.

Following is a draft letter that one can send to the CM (cmo at ori.nic.in) about developing higher education and medical opportunities outside of the BBSR/CTC/Puri area. This is a draft. Please make changes to your liking.

If I missed your favorite location, please add them in your letter.

best regards
Chitta

Continue Reading 9 comments April 11th, 2007

8th April morning 8.30 am AG Square: IIT rally message by Lalit Patnaik

ARE YOU A SWABHIMANI ODIA

One IIT each for Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajsthan has been sanctioned with an investment of Rs.4000 crores. Orissa, although promised two IIT by Central Minister for HRD Mr. M Fatmi on 28th August 2006 at Patna, has been befooled with none.

* Orissa being one of the poorest states in terms of infrastructure in education and technology needs establishment of IIT more than any other state.
* Orissa having richest Mineral deposit needs an IIT to provide knowledge and technology base for best utilization of it’s resources.
* Let us not be blamed by our grand children that we have overslept when their future was being dismissed.

1) We demand establishment of an IIT and up gradation of UCE, Burla to IIEST in Orissa.
2) Join for Orissa in our demand on 8th April 2007 morning at 8.30 am in AG square, Bhubaneswar.

Continue Reading 3 comments April 7th, 2007

Agami Orissa organizing a mass rally on the IIT issue: April 8th Sunday in Bhubaneswar (May 15 in Delhi)

(Update: Tathya.in has a nice story on this.)

(From Lalit Patnaik)

Dear friends,

Yesterday, Agamee Odisha has decided to call all it’s members and supportive organisation and also each & every Swabhimani Odia to join the Mass rally to Governor’s House on 8th April’07. Our demand for sanctioning an IIT in Orissa and upgrading UCE, Burla to IIEST will be handed over to Governor. The Memorandum will be sent for Priminister of India through Governor of Orissa. The rally will start from AG square to Governors House on 8th April’07( sunday) and the duration is from 8.30 am to 11 am.

Continue Reading 2 comments April 3rd, 2007

28th August 2006: PM visited Orissa; Did Orissa lose Rs. 3250 crores because of that?

On 28th August 2006 PM Manmohan Singh visited Orissa and announced the establishment of NISER (National Institute of Science Education and Research), which now has a budget of Rs. 750 crores. The same day Union minister of State of Human Resources of Development Mr. Fatmi announced in Patna that one of the greenfield IITs will be in Orissa. The budgets of the greenfield IITs are Rs 4000 crores each. It seems some officials at MHRD used the NISER in Bhubaneswar announcement as an excuse to remove Orissa from the list of IITs. Thus the Prime minister’s visit to Orissa has cost Orissa Rs 3250 crores.

February 2nd, 2007

Orissa at the receiving end of MHRD again: Announced for new IIT for Orissa shifted?

Update2: I am told by people from Bhubaneswar that New indian Express and Dharitri also published this news. (I have not yet found those news items in the Internet editions.)
Update1: Sambada also has a news item on this.

Pioneer, Tathya and Odisha.com have news items regarding how Orissa was in the original list of locations for the new IITs; so much so that TOI reported that Union minister of state for HRD MAA Fatmi on 28-8-06 said, “The proposal for one IIT for Bihar and two for Orissa and one Western Indian state besides one IIIT to Bihar will be included in 11th Five Year Plan.” With respect to Orissa he probably referred to one of the 3 new IITs proposed to be in the 11th plan and a branch campus of IIT KGP in BBSR. However, later news reports say that the 3 new IITs will be in Bihar, Rajasthan and AP. Yet again, Orissa has been sidelined by MHRD.

This is explosive news. Yet again Orissa has been sidelined by the HRD ministry. Like the NIS case, all Orissans should protest this (non-violently and without disruptive methods such as Rasta Roko etc.) by writing letters to the PM, Sonia Gandhi, Planning Commission, various newspapers etc. and contacting the MPs, MLAs and political leaders of all parties of Orissa and urging them to bring this up in the Orissa assembly, in Indian Parliament, with the Planning Commission, with Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and with the PM. Orissa should not tolerate such repeated slights by the MHRD.

We will be assembling documents and pointers with respect to this injustice towards Orissa and collecting all relevant information in a blog specifically made for this.

2 comments January 29th, 2007

Progress in regards to NISER

I was in India during December 12th-Jan 13th. Hence the long hiatus. Part of this time I was not able to access this site. I will slowly start positing on various things that happened since my last posting.

There has been very good progress in the NISER front. A web page for it has been created.

Continue Reading January 20th, 2007

Progress report on NISER: DAE negotiating with Government of Orissa for 300 acres near Naraj

New Indian Express reports that DAE is asking for free 300 acres of land for the NISER. It says that such a piece of land has been identified near Naraj. Following is an excerpt:

Continue Reading December 10th, 2006

This is a critical time for pursuing a KBK central University

The planning commission is in the process of making the 11th five
year plan covering 2007-12 and in their approach paper
they have mentioned that they plan to establish several new
institutions.

Continue Reading November 28th, 2006

About Us

[The longer version of the article "Going Higher on the Education Ladder" is here.]

First written in September 3, 2007; Updated Oct 8 2010: This site is to watch out for Orissa with respect to the Human Resource Development; human resource being the most important resource of a state or a country. Here we will concern ourselves with HRD at all levels, starting with primary and K-12 education, to vocational education, higher education, and technical education. One of our focus is in "inclusive HRD development" across India as well as across Orissa. Thus we will track the progress in all aspects of HRD in Orissa as well as India. This site will also be like a database in that one can search and find historical articles about a particular HRD topic or institution. Thus one can chart the progress of an HRD project. Some good examples are charting what progress has happened to NISER, or AIIMS-like institute or Sri Sri University, etc.

If you like what we are doing, and would like to help us, please contact us. Currently the people that regularly contribute to this site are myself. In the past there were contributions by

• Pratyusa Manadhata, Pittsburgh, USA and
• Prof. Digambara Patra, Beirut, Lebanon
• Dr. Sanjib Karmee.

For more more about me see my home page.  We have also received pointers/comments/suggestions from Dr. Ratan Ghosh (IIT Kanpur),  Dr. Debendra Mohapatra (NCL, Pune)  and many others.

Following is a picture of me and Digambara taken in 2005, on a chilly but sunny morning in Tokyo.

But to read about the person who pushed to make this happen, and now would not liked to be named here, we present a short history of this site:

I and Digambara with others have had many blogs in the blogger platform, mostly related to Orissa human resource development issues; some of them are:

• The movement to get NIS: a successful campaign that got us NISER
• Keeping track of NISER Bhubaneswar
• Keeping track of Vedanta University
• Orissa at the receiving end of MHRD again: announced for new IIT shifted?
• KBK Adivasi Central University and similar ones in other backward and tribal district clusters

P, a Orissa lover and Oriya lover with expertise in web development contacted me with a great vision of a bunch of connected sites on Orissa and offered to help me in initial hosting and design. On a trial basis, this site on HRD was started, with the initial goal to cover higher education. Since then it has been broadened to go beyond higher education.

Although this site uses the wordpress platform and existing themes, P did many customizations to that. These customizations take a lot of time, but it has been worth it, as it has improved the look and functionality of the site significantly. P administered the site until July 29th 2007; during that period and finally he did 99.99% of the work to move it to a new host. Until then he almost worked daily on improving various aspect of the site design. Our sincere thanks and greatest appreciations to P for all of that.

Add comment November 28th, 2006