SOSA favor NID B’mpur

Berhampur:4/September/2009, TATHYA.IN
Naveen Patnaik has a new problem in hand.
Chief Minister has already announced that National Institute of Design (NID) will come up at Bhubaneswar.
Now the South Orissa Students’ Association (SOSA) has urged the Orissa Chief Minister to locate the proposed NID at Berhampur.
The Organization has requested the state government to uphold the principle of distributive justice in knowledge infrastructure.
And they have demanded to consider locations outside the state capital for the upcoming centrally funded Institutes like NID and NIFT.
As all the centrally funded Institutes announced in the last few years except the Central University, like NISER, AIIMS, IIT, IIIT, WCU have been established in the capital region.
In a letter written to the state Chief Minister and the Union Commerce Minister, the Organization has made a strong appeal for locating the proposed NID at Berhampur, the principal city of South Orissa.
Last Month the Chief Minister of Orissa has met the Union Commerce and Textile Ministers and had impressed upon them to establish NIFT and NID in the state during the Eleventh Plan Period. Both the Union Ministers also showed their willingness for locating the NID and NIFT in Orissa.
But, as some circles in the government are trying to have both the institutes in the capital, it has generated a lot of resentment in the Tier II cities like Berhampur and Rourkela.
SOSA has appreciated the concern of the State Chief Minister for the development of backward and tribal dominated regions of the state.
And accordingly Association has urged that the establishment of the NID at Berhampur which is closer to the KBK region and the tribal hinterland of South Orissa will be in line with the stated policy of the government for the development of backward regions of the state.

Central University inaugurated at Koraput

Giving a boost to development of the KBK region, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal inaugurated the Central University of Orissa at Koraput on August 29. Speaking on the occasion, Sibal said education should be free from politics. He hoped that this university would help development of much neglected South Orissa, KBK and western Orissa, giving the students an opportunity of higher education.
He further said that the development of education of this backward area would help in development of the country as a whole. He said 3,500 nodal schools would be established by the Central Government throughout the country and among this 200 schools would be set up with the help of private entrepreneurs. The proposed model schools will be set up in the backward areas with an aim to provide primary education to all as “higher education has no meaning unless primary education was strengthened,” Sibal said.
Only 12 out of 100 students reach the graduation level in India, while the figure was 85 in the US, he said, adding central universities in backward places like Koraput could help students get into higher learning.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, addressing on the occasion, said his Government would provide water and electricity to the university. “This university will play a vital role as a Gyan Mandir, and the youth of the area will get opportunity for their higher education,” he said, adding that development in education was the root path of progress. The students of my KBK region will take the opportunity of the University and will be helpful for development of higher education in the State, he said.
“Providing quality education, disseminate inclusive education to reach the unreached is the mission of this University”, said Vice-Chancellor of the Central University Prof (Dr) Surabhi Banerjee.
Among others, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh, Higher Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra, Minsiter of State for Science and Technology Ramesh Chandra Majhi, member of Rajya Sabha Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, Koraput member of Lokh Sabha Jairam Pangi, and MLA Raghuram Padal also spoke.