Regional balance as well as academic excellence in making new IITs and IIESTs

Center agrees for an IIT in Orissa on March 28th, 2008

2008-03-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

More details on the road to an IIT in Orissa is at
http://iit.orissalinks.com/.

Details of the PIB that mentions an IIT in Orissa is as follows:

Ministry of Human Resource Development

PRESS NOTE - STATES IDENTIFIED FOR LOCATING NEW CENTRAL INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE 11TH FIVE YEAR PLAN
	11:55 IST

The 11^th Five Year Plan, endorsed by the National Development Council in December, 2007, envisages, inter-alia, establishment of the following new higher education institutions in the Central sector:

A Technical Education Institutions

· 8 Indian Institutes of Technology

· 7 Indian Institutes of Management

B Central Universities

· 14 Universities aiming at world class standards

· 16 Universities in States which do not have a Central University at present

2. Out of the above new institutions, location decisions had already been taken in the case of 4 IITs and one IIM. Hon’ble Prime Minister has since approved the proposals made by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, for the location of the remaining institutions as per the details given below.

Location of new IITs/ IIMs.

3. Location of 4 IITs (in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh), and one IIM (at Shillong) have already been announced. The Central Government has now decided to locate the remaining 4 IITs and 6 IIMs in the following States :-

IITs - Orissa, Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Gujarat and Punjab

IIMs - Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Uttarakhand and Haryana In addition, it is also proposed to convert the Institute of Technology of the Banaras Hindu University into an IIT. Admission to this Institute is already based on the IIT – Joint Entrance Examination.

Location of 14 World Class Universities

4. As regards 14 Central Universities aiming at world class standards, it has been considered necessary that these are located in or near selected large cities which would automatically have the kind of connectivity and infrastructure which such universities would need. Accordingly, it has been decided to locate one such University in each of the 14 States/Region as shown in the enclosed List, and to request concerned State Governments to identify adequate land in or near the selected cities.

Location of 16 Central Universities in Uncovered States

5. 16 States which do not have a Central University at present, and which will get one Central University each in the 11^th Plan are Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa. Of these, in three States, existing State Universities will be taken over by the Central Government and converted into Central Universities. These three Universities are Dr. Hari Singh Gaur University, Sagar (in Madhya Pradesh), Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur (in Chhattisgarh), and Goa University.

6. Establishment of IITs, IIMs and Central Universities in the above States is subject to State Governments offering adequate land at suitable locations, free of cost, for the purpose. Each of the concerned State Government is being requested to offer land accordingly. Actual establishment of these institutions would however depend, among other things, on how quickly the concerned State Governments respond by allotting adequate land at suitable locations.

State-wise List of Cities Identified for locating 14 Central Universities during the XIth Plan which would aim to achieve world class standards

State City

1. Maharashtra - Pune

2. West Bengal - Kolkata

3. Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

4. Karnataka - Mysore

5. Andhra Pradesh - Vishakapatanam

6. Gujarat - Gandhinagar

7. Rajasthan - Jaipur

8. Bihar - Patna

9. Madhya Pradesh - Bhopal

10. Kerala - Kochi

11. Punjab - Amritsar

12. Orissa - Bhubaneshwar

13. Uttar Padesh - Greater NOIDA

14. North Eastern Region - Guwahati

.....

Department of Higher Education, Ministry of HRD

PIB, New Delhi; Chatra 08, 1930,March 28, 2008

HB/VL/SB/conference28.3

TOI: Who will man the additional IITs?

2007-05-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Times of India, May 4, 2007

Who will man the additional IITs?
M A Pai, [4 May, 2007 l 1530 hrs IST]

In recent months at least two new institutes named as Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) modelled after IISc have been inaugurated. This is justifiable since science education and research badly needs a good boost as the country produces enough PhDs in sciences to staff these new institutions.

In addition, an equally important decision has been taken in recent years, namely to open three more IITs with plans to create 20 more in the next 5-year plan. With regards to this decision, however, several questions need to be raised. Specifically, do we have enough trained and qualified manpower to staff these new IITs as well as the requisite infrastructure in new facilities and services?

In a resource-constrained country like ours, we need to optimise our resources and be effective especially in technical education, an issue addressed in this article.

It is well known from the U R Rao committee report, which unfortunately is still not widely known to the public, that there is a tremendous shortage of PhD’s in engineering to man the existing engineering institutions.

There are more than 1,000 of them in both the public and the private sector. All the seven IITs have PhDs in their faculty in the ranks of Asst Professor and above. The extension of the retirement age in IITs seems to have come at the right time to relieve the teaching load crunch.

Starting a new IIT, from acquiring land to having a full fledged teaching and research institution, however, takes anywhere from 4-6 years. Additionally, recruiting faculty with PhDs in adequate numbers will be a challenging problem in itself. The production of PhDs in engineering in the country is about 900 per year in all disciplines with perhaps the lowest in Computer Science, a scant 50.

With these constraints and challenges in mind, herein is proposed a dual strategy that is called for to deal with the problem of IIT expansion.

The first priority should be for the existing IITs to step up the production of PhD’s in same way as China does. The present student to faculty ratio of about 10 in IITs is very small, and even if we account for about for 20% of Math, Physics, Chemistry and Humanities faculty for the service courses in engineering, the figure is still about 13, which is well below the 20+ figure in a public university in the US.

There is a case for pruning unnecessary courses to optimize faculty time, including the use of internet to be used effectively to communicate with students about problem assignments, solutions, etc. The practice of having tutorials, if it still exists should be done away with. The released time here can be devoted to research and the training of more post-graduate students with proper accountability. There are numerous ways of increasing post graduate enrolment.

In terms of addressing the lack of residential facilities to accommodate an increase in numbers, students must be asked to share rooms up to the level of PhD. The released space can be used to admit more students. The author has always felt from IITK days that space utilization i.e., classrooms, labs, etc., has been consistently very poor.

Since coursewise promotion is the norm more students can be admitted with multiple class sections and also students can be admitted even at the UG level in both semesters. This assures us that classes are run in the morning as well as in the afternoons till 4 PM, which is the norm in all US public universities. Without mentioning any institutions by name one can walk through buildings in the afternoons and find the classrooms empty!

Secondly, elevate selected institutions, such as BHU, Indian School of Mines (both of which admit students via JEE), VJTI, Jadavpur University, Anna University (Guindy campus), etc., and a few NITs to IIT status, along with a reform in their curricula just as University of Roorkee was upgraded with no committee work.

Many of these schools have earned a right to be in the same league as the IITs by sheer quality of their undergraduates. It appears some of them wish to retain their regional identity to serve needs of the state in which case others can be given the IIT status. At least 50% of the faculty must have a PhD and all future faculty members must have PhDs.

As has been argued earlier, this upgrade increases the admission base to IITs by perhaps four to five folds, something that will automatically solve the perennial quota problem by widening the pool of qualified applicants. At the end of the day, one must recognize that that engineering disciplines require hard work in math, chemistry and physics-oriented disciplines, and merit should be the only consideration.

Another aspect to consider is the constitutionally mandated SC/ST student quota that needs to be addressed separately. Over the years, there has been much hype about the IIT brand just as there is hype in this country about the Ivy League schools. The biggest benefit of such brand name schools is networking, and it has worked through the alumni system of investing money in their schools, etc. In a country of over a billion people, there are many things to be done beyond networking such as having more quality schools. Good students and an equally good track record in research is what counts. The tremendous success of ISRO as well as AEC with perhaps a marginal involvement of IITs and no Mandal effect has shown the country how pockets of excellence can be created.

Before we draw grandiose plans in a resource-scarce country like India, let us think of simple solutions at hand first. Money is needed for education at primary level in a big way. Much as we wish, the private sector is not going to enter into the education business on a large scale and perhaps for the right reasons.

(The author is Professor Emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and was on the Faculty of IIT Kanpur 1963-81.)

TOI: Opening New IITs

2007-04-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

Opening New IITs
Pankaj Jalote and B N Jain

The government recently said that it would open more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). While any move in this direction is welcome, the existing model of wholly state-funded IITs is not amenable to increasing the numbers and enhancing quality.

After the first five IITs which came up three to four decades back, the government has set up only one, in Guwahati. But since the 60s, India's population has doubled and numbers of the educated seeking admission have probably gone up tenfold. Unable to cope, the government started renaming existing institutions as IITs. The key difficulty today in starting an IIT is attracting and retaining good faculty.

To attract quality faculty, we need good students, a vibrant research environment and attractive compensation. Good students are available in plenty in India, at least at the undergraduate level. The challenges lie in the other two areas, and they cannot be met by promoting new IITs exclusively in the government sector due to resource and management constraints in the present model.

In an era of public-private partnerships (PPP), it is worth extending the PPP approach to starting new IITs. Private sector dynamism and long-term social commitment of the government can come together to create quality institutes. A modified BOT (build-operate-transfer) model can be applied here.

...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opening_New_IITs/articleshow/1939900.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/LEADER_ARTICLE_Opening_New_IITs/articleshow/msid-1939900,curpg-2.cms

IIT to be Setup between Bihta and Koilwar

2007-04-23T00:05:00.001-07:00

IIT to be Setup between Bihta and Koilwar

Patna: April 18, 2007

The state government has decided to allot 500 acres of land between Bihta and Koilwar to set up the branch of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur branch, sources in Patna said on Monday.

The area identified for the IIT campus is easily accessible by road and is less than 50 kilometers from Patna airport.

A visit from the Central Human Resources Ministry and IIT Kanpur officials is expected soon and once the area selected is approved by them, the government will initiate steps to acquire the land, sources said.

Officials said that in the beginning, the Bihta campus will be used as a branch of the IIT Kanpur but later will be accorded full autonomy.

Whether this arrangement is sound and in favor of the long term interest of Bihar, only time will tell.

IITs plan for expansion scrapped

2007-02-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

IITs plan for expansion scrapped

Chetan Chauhan

New Delhi, February 26, 2007

The HRD ministry has snowballed the plan of IITs to open new campuses. The first to be hit are the top three IITs of the country at - Delhi, Mumbai and Kharagpur.

In a policy directive, the HRD ministry has rejected the idea of opening satellite campuses in places far off from the main campus, citing huge costs involved. The decision was taken after number of IITs approached the HRD ministry seeking its views on opening new campuses.

While IIT Delhi was formulating a plan for Gurgaon, the proposal of IIT Mumbai for Gujarat and IIT Kharagpur for Bhubaneswar have already been rejected by the HRD ministry. "We are against the concept of opening satellite campuses as it may dilute the standard of education in premier institutes like IITs," a senior ministry official told HT.

IIT Kharagpur, which has a small campus functioning in Bhubaneswar, offering post-graduate diplomas, wanted the ministry’s permission to expand the existing campus and convert it into satellite campus offering undergraduate courses. Even Orissa Chief Minister Navin Pathnaik had written to the HRD minister Arjun Singh requesting a IIT in Orissa or providing full-fledged IIT like facilities in the existing campus to improve higher education in the state.

Rejecting the proposal, the HRD ministry officials say that Orissa as 12 Centrally funded educational institutes and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already announced opening of a National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) at Bhubaneswar.

A similar proposal from IIT Mumbai to open a campus in Ahmedabad to tap huge influx of JEE pass-outs from Gujarat was not approved, although there allegations that the proposal was rejected as IIT Mumbai had selected a BJP ruled state. But, a HRD ministry official gave a different explanation. "Opening a satellite campus requires funds equal to opening a new IIT. So, it is better to open new IITs," he said.

The HRD ministry has got, in principle, approval for opening three new IITs in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. HRD minister Arjun Singh has requested Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy to provide 500-600 acres of land.

The state government has informed the ministry that they are in the process of finalising land with civic amenities and air and rail connectivity, a ministry official said. Similar, requests have also been made to Bihar and Rajasthan governments, he added.

Email Chetan Chauhan: chetan@hindustantimes.com

Science and Technology Minister Makes National Institutes in his Home State

2007-02-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Mohali to be new knowledge centre for north India
Chetan Chauhan, New Delhi, February 23, 2007

What Bangalore is for south India, Mohali would soon be for northern India - a hub for multi-level knowledge base with five educational institutes and a biotechnology park.

An ambitious plan prepared by the government to be implemented in the next five years have HRD ministry, Science and Technology ministry and Punjab government as collaborators. "Entire proposal is in the final stages of approval as the Punjab government has been asked to provide adequate land for the national knowledge project," a senior government official told HT.

The approval process started on Thursday with the Union Cabinet approving setting up of Rs 100 crore Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Mohali. By doing this, the government has fulfilled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s commitment of an IISER in the town.
The PM’s plan has got further boost with ministry of Science and Technology deciding to open National Institute of Nano-Technology and National Institute of Bio-Technology in Mohali. "The proposals in this regard would be forwarded for Cabinet consideration soon," a senior government official said.

The Punjab government has been asked by the Centre to open a management school through public-private partnership model in Mohali. They have also been asked to provide land for developing national biotechnology park. The existing National Institute for Pharmaceutical Education and Research will be part of the new ‘knowledge campus’.

According to a senior government official, all the five institutes will come up in one huge campus with common residential, library, sports, broadband and hostel facilities. To make it a true learning centre and attract best talent, the government has recommended residential facilities, with Internet facilities, for all students and teachers.

A sub-group headed by former education secretary BS Baswan has recommended a flexible recruitment policy for the campus and complete employment opportunities for students.

The report submitted in December 2006 entails that teachers would get salary higher than the government pay scales, extra honorarium for research projects and opportunities for visiting foreign universities, in a bid to attract best teaching talent. The group has also recommended that the new knowledge centre should have tie-ups with foreign universities to hire faculty of Indian origin on semesters basis.

For students, the group had recommended better interaction with industry with emphasis on future employment avenues.

E-mail Chetan Chauhan: chetan@hindustantimes.com

Shillong IIM likely next year: The Telegraph

2007-02-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Shillong IIM likely next year
OUR CORRESPONDENT

IIM Lucknow: Shillong in queue
Shillong, Feb. 13: Dilly-dallying by the Union ministry of human resource development is likely to dampen the chances of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shillong becoming functional this year. The proposed premier business school will start classes only from the next academic year.

With Common Admission Test (CAT) scores having been announced, the admission process to the six IIMs is currently under way. However, the Centre is yet to issue a notification seeking the appointment of a director and registrar for the proposed Shillong IIM.

The Meghalaya government, however, has completed the required formalities, like providing 50 acres of land at Mawdiangdiang for the construction of a permanent str-ucture to house the institute.

The state has even provided a temporary shelter for the institute at Nongthymmai, so that the institute could start operations from this year.

The total budget for the temporary campus has been estimated at Rs 1.75 crore. The Union government has not released any funds for the project so far. The state has undertaken the construction on reimbursement basis and nearly 70 per cent of construction for residential quarters and student hostels is complete.

“According to the directions issued by the human resource development ministry, we have even sent the list of members for the governing body,” a senior state government official said.

“Most probably classes will not start this year,” the official added.

The human resource development ministry is also not sure whether classes can begin this year. Deputy director of higher education, Kalapana Singh, said the process was on but refused to elaborate.

The decision to set up an IIM was announced after Union minister for human resource development, Arjun Singh, held a meeting in Shillong a few years ago. Earlier, tribal affairs minister P.R. Kyndiah and former deputy chief minister in charge of education, Mukul M. Sangma, had lobbied for an IIM in Shillong.

This proposed seventh IIM in the country will have a two-year post-graduate programme in business management with nearly 150-odd students in the first year.

Shillong, known as the educational capital of the Northeast, had to face stiff competition from neighbouring Assam for the institute. Meghalaya was granted the IIM as Guwahati has an IIT.

Dharitri's editorial focuses on shifting of IIT from Orissa

2007-02-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

Dharitri exposes ignorance of HRD minstry towards Orissa

2007-02-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.dharitri.com/060207/story1.asp

Center betrays Orissa on IIT: Odisha.com

2007-02-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.odisha.com/20070204/fullstory/IIT.html

Andhra Pradesh may have managed to bag a proposed IIT from Orissa at Centre's behest: CNN-IBN

2007-02-01T00:46:00.000-08:00

My way or the highway! AP politicians fight over IIT

New Delhi: Getting into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology is every engineering aspirant’s dream. But getting the IIT into their state seems to be every politician’s ambition.
At least that’s what is happening in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, with the neighbours fighting it out over getting the institute within their territorial boundaries.
A day after Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took strong exception to the reported move of the Centre to shift the establishment of an IIT from Orissa to Andhra Pradesh, a political battle of sorts has broken out in Andhra.
Highway traffic has been badly hit on two National Highways after both the Opposition parties and the ruling Congress called for a blockade over where the proposed IIT should be established.
While the Opposition parties have called for a blockade of NH-9 - demanding an IIT at Basar in Adilabad district - the Congress is blocking NH-7 as it wants an IIT to be set up elsewhere!
“We are blocking the highway as we want an IIT in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh,” confirmed Medak Zila Parishad Chairman, Patan Cheru.
However, Congress is not having it easy either. All the political parties of state have come together to oppose CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s stand of locating the IIT in Medak district.
How it started
The Centre had announced establishment of three greenfield IITs in the country during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Orissa was included in this proposal, which was also announced by Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development MM Fatmi on August 28 last year at Patna.

The move did not go down well with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who on Wednesday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that a greenfield IIT should be sanctioned for the State.
Describing the move by the Centre to establish the IITs in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan as ‘shocking’, the Chief Minister has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister in setting up such an institute in Orissa.
Drawing the Prime Minister’s attention to the proposal of the IIT, Kharagpur for the upgradation of their extension centre in Orissa to a full-fledged IIT campus, Naveen said that the State Government has also formally recommended the proposal to the Ministry of HRD and conveyed willingness to provide 300 acres of land free of cost for the prestigious project.
He requested the Prime Minister to sanction the extension campus also.
(With CNN-IBN inputs)

Orissa was included in greenfield IIT proposal: Money Control

2007-02-01T00:40:00.000-08:00

My way or the highway! AP politicos fight over IIT
2007-02-01 12:08 Source : www.ibnlive.com

New Delhi: Getting into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology is every engineering aspirantâ€™s dream. But getting the IIT into their state seems to be every politicianâ€™s ambition.
At least thatâ€™s what is happening in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, with both the southern neighbours fighting it out over getting the institute within their territorial boundaries.
A day after Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took strong exception to the reported move of the Centre to shift the establishment of an IIT from Orissa to Andhra Pradesh, a political battle of sorts has broken out in Andhra.
Highway traffic has been badly hit on two National Highways after both the Opposition parties and the ruling Congress called for a blockade over where the proposed IIT should be established.
While the Opposition parties have called for a blockade of NH-9 - demanding an IIT at Basar in Adilabad district - the Congress is blocking NH-7 as it wants an IIT to be set up elsewhere!
â€œWe are blocking the highway as we want an IIT in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh,â€ confirmed Medak Zila Parishad Chairman, Patan Cheru.

However, Congress is not having it easy either. All the political parties of state have come together to oppose CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddyâ€™s stand of locating the IIT in Medak district.

The Centre had announced establishment of three greenfield IITs in the country during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Orissa was included in this proposal, which was also announced by Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development MM Fatmi on August 28 last year at Patna.

The move did not go down well with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who on Wednesday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that a greenfield IIT should be sanctioned for the State.

Describing the move by the Centre to establish the IITs in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan as â€˜shockingâ€™, the Chief Minister has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister in setting up such an institute in Orissa.

Drawing the Prime Ministerâ€™s attention to the proposal of the IIT, Kharagpur for the upgradation of their extension centre in Orissa to a full-fledged IIT campus, Naveen said that the State Government has also formally recommended the proposal to the Ministry of HRD and conveyed willingness to provide 300 acres of land free of cost for the prestigious project. He requested the Prime Minister to sanction the extension campus also.

CM writes letter to PM on shifting of IIT: Odhisa.com

2007-02-01T00:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.odisha.com/20070201/fullstory/IIT.html

Shifting of IIT from Orissa opposed, Naveen writes to PM reports Sambad

2007-02-01T00:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.orissasambad.com/index.php?id=13487

Naveen demands IIT for Orissa

2007-01-31T22:14:00.001-08:00

Naveen demands IIT for Orissa

KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding setting up of an Indian Institute of Technology in Orissa.

Taking exception to the Centre's move to set up greenfield IITs in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, the Chief Minister said in his letter on Wednesday that establishment of an IIT in Orissa was necessary to support the rapid industrial growth taking place in the State.

Stating that the State was attracting huge investments in various sectors including the mega steel plant projects of Arcelor Mittal and Posco, Patnaik said there was every reason to set up an IIT to cater to the requirement of the upcoming industries by producing highly qualified technical personnel.

Terming the Centre's move to drop Orissa from the list of States selected for setting up of IITs as `shocking', Patnaik urged the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter and sanction such an institute for the State.

Patnaik also drew Prime Minister's attention to the announcement made by the Centre in August last year about establishment of three IITs during the 11th Five Year Plan period in the country. Orissa had figured in the list of the States, he added.

As regards the upgradation of the extension centre of IIT, Kharagpur in the State to a full-fledged campus, Patnaik also urged the Prime Minister to look into the matter for implementation of the project. The State has already sent a proposal in this regard to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and assured allotment of 300 acres of land for the project, Patnaik said.

Cry to end higher education divide: Telegraph

2007-01-31T18:39:00.000-08:00

Cry to end higher education divide
MONOBINA GUPTA

New Delhi, Jan. 31: Pressure is building on the Centre to set up educational institutions of excellence in backward states.

As the government gears up to build a string of science, technology and management institutes, political parties and pressure groups fear these might go to certain “favoured” regions. They cite how states like Orissa and Madhya Pradesh have been denied their share.
The latest provocation is the Union human resource development ministry’s decision to set up Indian Institutes of Technology in Bihar and Rajasthan and Indian Institutes of Science for Education and Research (IISERs) in Pune and Calcutta.

The decision has angered residents of states that feel left out, particularly Orissa. Letters and petitions to the ministry are pouring in from individuals and groups in Orissa alleging discrimination.

Orissa doesn’t have a single centre of excellence while the northern cities of Delhi, Kanpur and Roorkee have an IIT each.

The Manmohan Singh government has proposed three new IITs, 20 Indian Institutes of Information Technology, five Indian Institutes of Management, three IISERs and four Schools of Planning and Architecture in the 11th Five-Year-Plan.
But where will these be located if the Planning Commission clears them? In the past, decisions have been influenced by political factors, such as which parties have clout at the Centre and where the cabinet ministers come from.
The HRD ministry’s allocations to states depend on the presence and size of central educational institutions. Delhi receives the largest share, followed by Bengal and Karnataka. On the lowest rungs are Bihar, Rajasthan and Orissa.
Those advocating more and better educational institutions in Orissa cite past promises that were not kept. For instance, in 2003, the Vajpayee government had announced a National Institute of Science (NIS) in the state. The Orissa government allocated 75 acres of prime land, but nothing has moved since then.
The Prime Minister recently announced two IISERs in Calcutta and Pune. The objectives of an NIS and an IISER are the same; so the new IISERs could seal the fate of the proposed NIS in Orissa.
Higher education experts point to a link between a dearth of “employable” technical manpower and an absence of quality institutions in large parts of the country.
The south teems with private professional institutes but many of them are substandard. Experts say the government, either on its own or through private-public partnership, should create more high-quality institutes.

Industry claims that no more than 40 per cent of the nearly 300,000 engineering graduates are employable. The HRD ministry says that one way of bridging the gap is to upgrade eligible institutes to “IIT status”.

Seven colleges — including Jadavpur University’s engineering and technology department, Bengal Engineering and Science University and Aligarh Muslim University’s Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology — have been identified for the upgrade.
But some academics argue such upgrade would “dilute” the IIT brand. They suggest that these institutes be turned into National Institutes of Technology or Hindustan Institutes of Technology.

CM writes to PM demanding greenfield IIT: The New Indian Express

2007-01-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

CM writes to PM demanding greenfield IIT
Thursday February 1 2007 00:00 IST

BHUBANESWAR: Taking strong exception to the reported move of the Centre to shift the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) from Orissa to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that a greenfield IIT should be sanctioned for the State.The Centre had announced establishment of three greenfield IITs in the country during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Orissa was included in this proposal, which was also announced by Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development MM Fatmi on August 28 last year at Patna.Describing the move by the Centre to establish the IITs in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan as ‘shocking’, the Chief Minister has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister in setting up such an institute in Orissa.Establishment of an IIT would go a long way in supporting the rapid industrial growth in the State by producing highly qualified technical and managerial personnel as well as the much needed R&D support, he said.Drawing the Prime Minister’s attention to the proposal of the IIT, Kharagpur for the upgradation of their extension centre in Orissa to a full-fledged IIT campus, Naveen said that the State Government has also formally recommended the proposal to the Ministry of HRD and conveyed willingness to provide 300 acres of land free of cost for the prestigious project. He requested the Prime Minister to sanction the extension campus also.Stating that the vibrant growth in the industrial and technical education sectors provides enormous potential for industry and institutional linkages, Naveen said that establishment of an IIT in Orissa will greatly facilitate in intensifying this process.Orissa is playing host to the biggest ever FDI projects in the country such as Posco and Arcelor-Mittal steel projects, he said and added that presence of such strong industrial players will definitely provide required synergy for an IIT level institution to realise its full potential.

CM writes to PM for IIT in Orissa reports Dharitri

2007-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.dharitri.com/010207/story15.asp

Sambad reports on shifting of IIT from Orissa to AP

2007-01-28T23:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.orissasambad.com/index.php?id=13254

Orissa may lose IIT to Andhra Pradesh

2007-01-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

Orissa may lose IIT to Andhra Pradesh
Pioneer News Service Bhubaneswar
... as HRD requests Planning Commission to include three new IIT's in 11 Five-Year Plan

It seems that some nasty politics is overshadowing the decision of setting up of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Orissa. Union Minister for Human Resources Development Arjun Singh, a diehard Congress leader, seems determined not to oblige the BJD-led Government in the State to take the political mileage for setting up an IIT in the State.
The HRD Ministry has requested the Planning Commission to include three new IITs in the Eleventh-Plan period. The budget of each new IIT may be as high as Rs 4,000 crore, sources said. Union Minister of State for HRD MAA Fatmi, during the inaugural ceremony of a new experiment of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in Patna, has said, "The proposal for IITs for Orissa and a western State, besides an IIT for Bihar, will be included in 11th Five-Year Plan."

The mention of Bihar and Orissa in the context of IIT makes sense as both States are in the bottom three (the other being Rajasthan) of HRD Ministry spending with respect to fully centrally funded higher education institutions and neither of them has an HRD-funded IIT, IIM, Central University, IISER, etc. The mention of two IITs in Orissa probably referred to a new IIT and a proposal for a branch or extension of IIT Kharagpur in Bhubaneswar.
However, even though the 11th Plan proposal is not yet finalised, confidential inquiries reveal that the three new IITs will be in Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. And accordingly, the HRD Ministry has sent letters to the concerned State Governments. Moreover, reports also mention that the plans for branch campuses have been stalled.

Despite being at the bottom of the HRD funding, Ministry always skips over Orissa. Earlier, a proposed National Institute of Sciences in Bhubaneswar was shifted to Kolkata, despite protests from people all over the State and its representatives in Parliament roaring over the HRD Ministry's antipathy. Ultimately, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to come to the State's rescue as he granted it an NISER to be funded by the Department of Atomic Energy.
Now, the HRD Ministry has once again overlooked Orissa with respect to the IITs. This time, it seems Orissa is superseded by the Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh, which, earlier in the year, was awarded not one but two upgrades to IIT cousins. Andhra University Engineering College and Osmania University Engineering College were earlier included in the list to be upgraded as IIESTs (Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology). Thus, Andhra gets a new IIT and two IIT-like institutions funded by the HRD Ministry.

The people of Orissa in general and non-resident Oriyas in particular have now reasons to believe that the HRD Ministry under Arjun Singh is nourishing personal grudge against the NDA-ruled State and trying to benefit the States run by the UPA partners.

Ahmedabad gets an IIPH

2007-01-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

State sees healthy future with MoUs of Rs 2,000 crore
Express News Service

Gandhinagar January 16: With a string of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed in the health care and medical education sector during the just-concluded two-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit, the Government expects it to further improve the services in this sector and boost medical tourism in the State.
Among the eight MoUs signed involving proposed investment of over Rs 2,000 crore includes the one inked by Fortis Healthcare Limited, a prominent Delhi-based group of hospitals, which has proposed to set up a healthcare hub near Ahmedabad comprising medical, dental and nursing colleges and a college of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Under the proposed project with an estimated investment of Rs 750 crore, FHL also envisages to set up a 600-bed hospital attached to a medical college. The government claims that this medical project, when implemented, would create employment opportunity for over 3,000 people, mainly for medical and paramedical personnel.
Another major MoU signed at the Summit was by Apollo Tyres, Artemis Health Science (AHS) that proposed to set up a hospital-cum-medical college, as also a college of hospital administration at Harani village near Vadodara. The private company with its manufacturing unit at Waghodia also plans to set up a nursing college, paramedical college and ayurvedic college under its project proposal that involves a total investment of Rs 500 crore and expects to generate 4,000 jobs.

Canada-based Clinical Islet Transplant Group Inc inked an MoU for setting up a clinical islet training and transplantation for diabetes unit near Ahmedabad, with proposed investment of Rs 450 crore and generation of 150 jobs. Delhi-based Public Health Foundation of India proposed to establish an Indian Institute of Public Health near Ahmedabad, involving an investment of Rs 140 crore.

The summit saw yet another important MoU signed by Bombay Hospital Trust’s Bharat Taparia, who proposed to develop an undergraduate and post-graduate medical institute with multi-speciality hospital and a dental and nursing college in Ahmedabad. The trust has also plans to set up two institutions, one for para medical training and another for hospital management training at Ahmedabad. The project proposal is worth Rs 150 crore, and expects to create employment opportunity for 1,000 people.
A list of the MoUs includes a Rs 90 crore-Rs 100 crore proposal to create a public limited company for setting up a 150-bed multi-speciality hospital in Surat to be attached to a medical education centre later. The names of V C Kapoor and Dr S K Seth have been mentioned as the promoters of the proposed medical project which claims to generate 400 jobs.
The list also includes two proposals to develop government-run hospitals with public-private participation. The URMET Trust attached to the Vapi-based United Phosphorus Ltd inked an MoU proposing to run the Valsad Civil Hospital, but interestingly the investment in the hospital will be made by the State Government. Under the MoU, the Trust has plans to set up a medical college attached to this hospital at Valsad. The Mumbai-based Wockhardt Hospitals signed an MoU, under which it proposed to provide tertiary health care services at the government-run district hospital in Palanpur. The MoU signee has plans to provide tertiary care services at the district hospital of the standards of Wockhardt hospital.
State Health Commissioner Amarjit Singh told The Indian Express, “All the parties that have inked the MoUs in the health care and medical education sector are genuine, and the projects proposed by them will certainly raise the level of medical education and services in the State. The gestation period for implementation of these projects will be three to four years.”

IIT's fate in Kerala state uncertain

2007-01-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

IIT's fate in state uncertain
Sunday January 21 2007 14:10 IST
T'PURAM: With science and technology principal secretary A E Muthunayagam submitting his resignation, the fate of the proposed IIT in the state hangs in the balance. Muthunayagam, as the governing board chairman of the Chennai IIT, had taken the initiative to start the IIT subcentre in the state.I don't know what will happen to the IIT. But if the Government of India wants the Chennai IIT to launch a subcentre in Kerala, I shall do whatever is necessary, said Muthunayagam after submitting his resignation.The IIT, which was to have come up at the jersey farm in Vithura, later became a victim of the group fight within the CPM.

Will the HRD ministry and planning commission take steps to correct the existing regional imbalance in higher education opportunities?

2007-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

(An edited version of this article was published in Indian Express on December 21, 2006. The same day news reprts came in that the locations of the 3 new IITs have been decided to be in Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.)

Education in general and higher education in particular seems to be one of the focus items, and rightly so, for the 11^th five year plan. The approach paper to the 11^th plan says: “Only about 8% of the relevant age group (of Indians) go to university whereas in many developing countries, the figure is between 20 and 25%. There is a clear need to undertake major expansion. … New colleges and universities must be set up, to provide easier access to students in educationally backward districts.” Similar sentiment was recently expressed by the planning commission deputy Chairman Mr. Ahluwalia when he agreed with Shekhar Gupta that higher education is a problem and went on to say, “What has happened is we suddenly realized that if the economy is now growing at 8 per cent, and could grow at 9 per cent, the skills the economy needs will become a constraint.” The Finance minister in his recent convocation address at Symbiosis International University also echoed similar sentiments.

Against this backdrop there have been news reports[1] that the HRD minister Mr. Arjun Singh has proposed to set up three new IITs, 20 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), five Indian Institutes of Managements (IIMs), three Indian Institutes of Science Educational and Research (IISERs) and four Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs). There has been also news about one central university, and possibly more, outside of the northeast.

Even if some of these get through to the 11^th plan the question that arises is where they will be located. Currently the distribution of the existing fully centrally funded institutes is skewed. In the past, decisions regarding the locations of institutions seem to be based more on – regardless of what spin is put on it, which state has a bigger influence over the central government, or where the important ministers come from, rather than making sure that these institutes and universities are distributed equitably across various states of the country.

Ironically, to get a comprehensive idea of the inequity one needs to look at pages 84-85 of the Moily committee report which lists the well-established institutions that will be subject to the 27% reservation for OBCs. Ignoring the medical and agricultural institutes there – as they are not funded by the HRD ministry, following is a state and Union territory wise list of central institutes and central universities from the Moily committee report:

Andhra Pradesh (NIT, Hyderabad U, Maulana Azad Urdu U), Arunachal Pradesh (none), Assam (NIT, IIT, Assam U, Tezpur U), Bihar (NIT), Chhattisgarh (NIT), Delhi (IIT, JNU, U Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia, SPA), Goa (none), Gujarat (IIM, NIT), Haryana (NIT), Himachal Pradesh (NIT), Jammu and Kashmir (NIT), Jharkhand (NIT, NITTR, ISM), Karnataka (NIT, IISc, IIM), Kerala (NIT, IIM), Madhya Pradesh (IIM, NIT, NITTR, 2 IIITs), Maharashtra (NIT, NITIE, IIT, MG Hindi U), Manipur (Manipur U), Meghalaya (NEHU), Mizoram (Mizoram U), Nagaland (Nagaland U), Orissa (NIT), Punjab (NIT, SLIET), Rajasthan (NIT), Sikkim (none), Tamil Nadu (NIT, IIT, NITTR), Tripura (NIT), Uttaranchal (IIT), Uttar Pradesh (NIT, IIM, IIT, IIIT, BHU, Allahbad U, Ambedkar U), West Bengal (NIT, IIT, IIM, Visva Bharati, NITTR), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (none), Chandigarh (NITTR), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (none), Daman and Diu (none), Lakshadweep (none) and Puducherry (Pondicherry U).

The sizes of the above states and UTs vary and institutions in some of them are local to significant urban population in the neighboring states such as institutions in Delhi are local to a large populace of UP and Haryana and institutions in and around Chandigarh are local to a large populace of both Punjab and Haryana. The different institutes mentioned above have different budgets; the IITs and IISc having among the highest budgets while the NITTRs having much smaller budgets. The exact budget details are not easily available to make an accurate calculation of how much money the HRD ministry spends per-capita in various states with respect to the above institutions, but a rough calculation at http://equitableindia.org – based on the 2006-07 numbers in the Indian budget, averaging out among classes of institutions, shows Delhi (Rs 183.08), West Bengal (Rs 41.20) and Karnataka (Rs 33.4) at the top with Orissa (Rs 4.07), Rajasthan (Rs 2.59), and Bihar (Rs 1.87) at the bottom among the sizable states.

Not surprisingly as per the NSSO study of 2004-2005 Orissa is also at the bottom of most higher education parameters. For example, Table 3.14.1 shows that in the 15-19 age group 29% people in Orissa are attending school/college and in the 20-24 age group this number for Orissa is 6.1%. (Both numbers are lowest among all but the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep.) For Bihar these numbers are 42.7% and 8.6% respectively; for Rajasthan they are 40.8% and 9.5%; for Delhi they are 70% and 19.3%; for West Bengal they are 41.6% and 11.8% and for Karnataka they are 41.7% and 11%.

When this inequity is pointed out, some respond that locations of national institutes and their locations do not matter as anyone from India can go and study there. Such people forget that premier institutions like IITs and central universities are also drivers of growth of the region where they are located. Also, many of these institutes have programs that mostly benefit locals, such as executive MBAs in the IIMs. Similarly, pursuit of a Ph.D. or a Masters in an IIT/IISc or a central university while teaching in a nearby institution is more feasible for locals.

Thus it is very important that the fully centrally funded institutions be distributed in an equitable manner across the country; the location decisions of the new institutions should not only aim towards achieving equitable distribution across the country but to some extent should also try to compensate for the past decades of inequity.

Whether the HRD ministry and the planning commission will do that and will be allowed (by the UPA coalition politics) to do that is the big question?

Some initial statements give the deprived states some hope. For example, a news report[2] on the proposed new IITs mentions that HRD ministry officials have said that the new institutes will come up in areas where the higher education facilities are not very good. It quotes an HRD official saying that “We will look at new town and cities for establishing the centres of excellence.” Similarly, the Prime minister in 2005, while referring to regional imbalance issue in terms of educational institutions, said[3] “I trust our government as well the state governments will take note of these findings and evolve policies to remedy these regional imbalances.” Another report[4] quoted Prof. Bhalchandra Mungekar, Member (Education), Planning Commission saying: “I suggested that institutes of national importance should be dispersed as widely as possible for balanced regional development.”

However, with the dismal past record of institute locations being decided based on political considerations, even when they worsen regional inequity, citizens of India, especially from the deprived states, need to be watchful. With a bunch of new institutes, with varied budgets coming along, there may be attempts (we hope not) to give an appearance of balance while some of the big ticket items are again located in powerful states, or states with ties to powerful ministers and advisors, and if at all, some smaller budgeted institutes may then be doled to the really deserving but politically unimportant states. In this regard, it is helpful to know the approximate budget numbers for the various institutes. The biggest ticket items are the proposed new IITs. A news report[5] mentions that each of them will need a sustained funding of Rs 650 crores annually for the first six years. In contrast the budget for making an IISER was estimated to be a total of 500 crores over 5-6 years. Thus, just from the locations of the proposed new IITs it will be very clear if regional inequity is being really addressed or if people are being taken for a ride by saying phrases like regional balance, equal opportunity, etc. and really doing something else and when pressed, justifying it with some reasonable sounding arguments. One such possible argument is that IITs need to be located near industries. Fine, now even the deprived states are going after industries and having success in getting them to their states. Another is possibly picking backward areas of already well-funded states. Again, the backward areas in the deprived states are even more backward! One can verify that from the list of 69 most backward districts made under the auspices of the Rajiv Gandhi foundation, which was recently mentioned by a planning commission member during his visit to Orissa.

Dear esteemed Planning Commission and HRD ministry, the citizens of India, especially from the states that are in the bottom of the HRD higher education funding are watching you and hereby put you on notice that you be true to your words and that you look after all of India with equal eyes.

[1] http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_1846376,00020009.htm

[2] http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_1846376,00020009.htm

[3] http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=12280

[4] http://www.baral.us/orissa/pdf/2005-nov9-newindpress.pdf

[5] http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/459579.cms

Five Point: Gujarat's IIT dreams

2007-01-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

Five Point: Gujarat's IIT dreams
Rajat Ghai[ 17 Jan, 2007 2350hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

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The Central Government recently announced plans to set up a full-fledged IIT for Gujarat. They are the cream of Indian intellectual capital. The seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been India's pride since their establishment. And more so now, when India is a metaphor for 'model knowledge economy.' No wonder then that the Centre's announcement of developing two new IITs, one each for Gujarat and Kerala, gives reason for great excitement to people in the state. "An IIT is the need of the hour for Gujarat," feels M N Patel, principal of L D Engineering College, Ahmedabad. J N Goswami, director, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, nods in assent. "As things stand, we have very few good institutes and a large number of mediocre ones, which results in mediocrity. It is better to have one big institute like an IIT." Why not raise existing technical institutes to the position of IITs? "Setting up a brand new IIT is a much better policy decision than converting existing ones since such a process takes a lot of time," feels P D Porey, director, Sardar Vallabhbhai Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Surat. Agrees Patel as he says, "You need a 200 acre area for an IIT. Unless you have a large campus, you cannot have the proper academic activities to stimulate the right attitude towards technology." Will the setting up of an IIT stimulate technological innovation in the state? "That depends on whether local entrepreneurs are interested in inventing new technology which is cognate with the curriculum of an IIT," says Goswami. But what of Gujarati students? A frequent refrain is of Gujarati students losing out to their counterparts from other states in premier institutes such as IIM-A. "The most fundamental problem is the difficulty students here face in using English," says Patel. Ironically though, he feels an IIT could remove this obstacle. "Having an institute of the rank of an IIT would lead students to develop more competitive mindsets." Surat-based educationist, Vardan Kabra, an IIT Delhi alumnus, feels that while an IIT is great news for Gujarat, efforts should also be made to increase technology education in different parts of the state. "We need more quality institutes in all parts of Gujarat if it is to become a cutting-edge leader in Science and Technology," he says.

TN pitches for statistics institute

2007-01-11T23:50:00.000-08:00

TN pitches for statistics institute
GUNJAN PRADHAN SINHA & G GANAPATHY SUBRAMANIAMTIMES NEWS NETWORK

[ TUESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2007 02:43:46 AM]
NEW DELHI: Budgets have a lot to do with number crunching, and Budget 2007 might just take it a step further — with a brand new institute of excellence for statistics. The government is considering a proposal to set up a new-age clone of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and discussions are on to allocate Rs 50 crore for this purpose. The issue popped up on the UPA government’s budget agenda following a demand from Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi. The DMK supremo wants a premium institute for statistics to be set up in Chennai and has offered to provide 25 acres near Tharamani — an institutional area fast emerging as the hub for IT firms — free of cost. Acknowledging the enthusiasm of UPA’s southern ally, PM Manmohan Singh has constituted an inter ministerial group (IMG) to examine the proposal. Highly-placed government sources said deliberations are on and RC Panda, a Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer who is currently functioning as statistics secretary, will co-ordinate with various departments, including finance, to give shape to the project. Incidentally, GK Vasan, a Congress leader from Tamil Nadu, is now the minister of state for statistics. Mr Karunanidhi wrote a formal letter to Mr Singh and followed it up recently with requests to speed up clearance, the sources said. The Tamil Nadu CM’s argument is that there is only one central institute of excellence dealing with statistics now which is located at Kolkata. In view of the growing importance of statistics due to strong economic growth, officials have also been feeling the need to have a strong database. Data support is considered vital to stress important issues at global fora like the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Tamil Nadu government has also submitted a concept paper which details the dire need for a premium statistics institute at Chennai. Mr Karunanidhi’s argument is that Tamil Nadu has been producing large number of graduates in mathematics, accountancy and statistics. During informal discussions, he has also stressed that renowned maths expert Ramanujan was born in Chennai and the city was the home to the Institute of Mathematical Sciences.

Visakhapatnam to get an IIM soon

2007-01-08T23:23:00.000-08:00

Visakhapatnam to get an IIM soon
2007-01-08 09:05 Source : www.ibnlive.com
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New Delhi: Itâ€™s not an announcement of more holidays, but despite that thereâ€™s some good news for students of Andhra Pradesh.

The Centre has agreed to a proposal to give Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) status to the Andhra University Engineering College.

There are also plans that are afoot to bring an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to the state.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy made the announcement in Visakhapatnam.

So with the demand for a separate Telengana state gathering strength, Visakhapatnam is getting greater attention as the city has the potential to rival capital Hyderabad.

Apart from a 200-acre Ceramic City and a Medical Institute that has been planned, there is a 500-acre Educational Village where premier institutes will set up their campuses also in the offing.

IIT plan to set up satellite campus in Guj hits snag

2006-12-29T01:10:00.000-08:00

IIT plan to set up satellite campus in Guj hits snag
Akshaya Mukul
[ 29 Dec, 2006 0150hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

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NEW DELHI: IIT-Mumbai's plan to start a satellite campus in Gujarat, which could have gradually become a full-fledged IIT, IIT-Mumbai's plan to start a satellite campus in Gujarat, which could have gradually become a full-fledged IIT, may not take place early.. Reason: Centre's approval was not taken.

But the political subtext, according to sources, is that a Congress-ruled centre would not offer an IIT to BJP-ruled Gujarat under Narendra Modi.

The fact that Gujarat also goes to election by the end of next year would mean that Centre would not like the state government to showcase IIT as an achievement.

Armed with a go-ahead from its board, IIT-M had approached Gujarat government which immediately agreed to give free land near Gandhinagar. The state government had even demarcated the land.

But the Centre's approval was still needed for funds to build the campus. The finance ministry had also said that new campus amounted to setting up a new project which would require necessary clearance from the Centre.

When the technical lapse was brought to IIT-M's notice, it sent a fresh proposal to HRD ministry for a satellite campus in Gujarat.

But with HRD already having proposed two more IITs in the 11th Plan, it needs to be seen if the approval comes for Gujarat or elsewhere. Sources say political considerations could play a major role.

During the winter session of Parliament, a number of Gujarat MPs had asked a question about the IIT campus in Gujarat. HRD ministry's reply has been that there is no such plan.

Refusing to get drawn into a political fight that might ensue, a senior IIT-M functionary said, "We are hopeful of getting the Centre's nod." He said IIT-M is not the only one which has applied for a satellite campus. IIT-Chennai proposes to set up a satellite campus in Kerala and IIT-Kharagpur in Orissa. "If one gets approved, others would also would," he said.

IITs to come up in Bihar, Andhra and Rajasthan (Dec 21)

2006-12-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

JAIPUR: With the Union human resource development ministry approval, the path has been cleared for the setting up of three more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) — in Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. At present there are seven IITs in the country — in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Roorkee, Chennai and Guwahati.

Vasudeo Devnani, minister of state for education, Rajasthan has been demanding the opening of an IIT for sometime now, as students from the state qualify in large number in IIT-JEE entrance and the state has produced number of toppers in the examination.

Rajasthan government is yet to decide where the IIT would be located, as the state government will have to make available 500 to 600 acres of land for setting up the institute. The chances are that it would be set up either in Jaipur or Kota.

Earlier, the state government had proposed that Kota Engineering College run by the state government be converted into an IIT, as all the necessary infrastructure was available there.

IIT plan to set up satellite campus in Guj (and other places?) hits snag

2006-12-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

IIT plan to set up satellite campus in Guj hits snag

Akshaya Mukul

[ 29 Dec, 2006 0150hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: IIT-Mumbai's plan to start a satellite campus in Gujarat, which could have gradually become a full-fledged IIT, IIT-Mumbai's plan to start a satellite campus in Gujarat, which could have gradually become a full-fledged IIT, may not take place early.. Reason: Centre's approval was not taken.

But the political subtext, according to sources, is that a Congress-ruled centre would not offer an IIT to BJP-ruled Gujarat under Narendra Modi.

The fact that Gujarat also goes to election by the end of next year would mean that Centre would not like the state government to showcase IIT as an achievement.

Armed with a go-ahead from its board, IIT-M had approached Gujarat government which immediately agreed to give free land near Gandhinagar. The state government had even demarcated the land.

But the Centre's approval was still needed for funds to build the campus. The finance ministry had also said that new campus amounted to setting up a new project which would require necessary clearance from the Centre.

When the technical lapse was brought to IIT-M's notice, it sent a fresh proposal to HRD ministry for a satellite campus in Gujarat.

But with HRD already having proposed two more IITs in the 11th Plan, it needs to be seen if the approval comes for Gujarat or elsewhere. Sources say political considerations could play a major role.

During the winter session of Parliament, a number of Gujarat MPs had asked a question about the IIT campus in Gujarat. HRD ministry's reply has been that there is no such plan.

Refusing to get drawn into a political fight that might ensue, a senior IIT-M functionary said, "We are hopeful of getting the Centre's nod." He said IIT-M is not the only one which has applied for a satellite campus. IIT-Chennai proposes to set up a satellite campus in Kerala and IIT-Kharagpur in Orissa. "If one gets approved, others would also would," he said.

BESU and IIEST

2006-12-28T07:04:00.000-08:00

MISHANDLING AN ENORMOUS TASK

Upgradation of Besu as an institute of national importance is necessary to give technical education in India a better future, writes Anasuya Basu

If it is so easy to expect farmers at Singur to give up their two-crop land for the sake of industrial growth then why is it so difficult for the state government give up its control over Bengal Engineering and Science University for the sake of better education?

In April 2004, Amaljyoti Sengupta, the vice-chancellor of the then deemed university, had submitted a proposal to upgrade Besu to an institute of national importance on its 150th year. This coincided with the proposal of the ministry of human resource development to upgrade Besu, along with six others selected from among 150 technical education institutes in the country, in line with the Vision Document 2020. The seven institutes were studied, their performance measured, faculty, students and staff interviewed by committees appointed by the ministry. After the scrutiny, it was let known that Besu topped among the seven institutes in terms of performance and existing infrastructure. Yet, the 150-year-old institute still awaits its upgradation.

The HRD ministry, which spearheaded the proposal, seems to be on the backfoot. Its recent announcement of setting up three new IITs seems to be in contravention of its proposal to upgrade the seven institutes. The West Bengal government, on its part, has raised questions regarding governance and admission of students. The state higher education minister, apprehensive that students of the state will fail to compete at a national level for admission, has sought region-specific reservation of seats. Such myopic and parochial considerations are going to ruin chances of growth of an institute that has provided a steady supply of quality manpower.

But can the state really afford to give up such an opportunity to better the education scenario? Higher technical education has not had a very long history in India. The first engineering college — Roorkee College — was established in 1847. Right after that, in 1856, came Besu. At the end of the 19th century, India had four engineering colleges at the degree level, about 20 survey and technical institutions and about 50 industrial schools.

After independence, considering the enormity of the task of nation-building, trained technical manpower was required in much larger numbers. The N.R. Sarkar committee recommended the establishment of four higher technical institutions in the country. The idea was to provide a non-specialized orientation and integrated curricula that would encourage students to think creatively. The products of these institutions were expected to be “creative scientist-engineers” and technical leaders with a broad outlook. Thus the IITs were conceived as institutes of national importance. They were established by an act of parliament and funded liberally by the Central government. They were given a high degree of functional autonomy.

After four decades, the need for more trained technical manpower is again being felt. India is trying to be a knowledge-based industrial centre rather than merely a manufacturing centre. The need for high calibre technical institutions to provide trained manpower is being acutely felt.

There were proposals to convert the regional engineering colleges into IITs. Eventually, they were designated as National Institutes of Technology with deemed university status. But simply renaming institutions which do not possess the inherent strength of IITs, will not suffice. It is essential for them to imbibe those attributes which made the IITs a success. Starting more new IITs would require large-scale funding and a large and competent faculty. It was thus prudent to identify existing institutions that were capable of acquiring the features of IITs.

And this is what the S.K. Joshi committee, appointed by the HRD ministry, did. It identified seven institutes across the country, which had the potential to turn into IITs. Apart from Besu and Jadavpur University, there are the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, College of Engineering, Andhra University, University Colleges of Engineering and Technology, Osmania University and Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University. The Anandakrishnan committee surveyed these seven institutes and recommended the procedure that would upgrade them to the IIT level. They need not, necessarily, be called IITs, said the committee, suggesting a new nomenclature — Indian Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology. But they should be developed as outstanding institutions by enabling them to acquire the attributes of IITs and innovate newer ones.

The system for designing academic programmes, flexibility in offering new topics, freedom for students to engage in cross-disciplinary programmes, a transparent system of internal evaluation and grading, assessment of teachers by the students and an autonomous and responsive governance are what made the IITs such a resounding success. The proposed IIESTs are supposed to include all of these features and more.

The growth of technical studies in India have so long been concentrated on the four-year undergraduate degree programmes. The number of institutions and their capacity at the MTech and PhD levels have remained the same. Enrolment has also declined. The number of doctorates awarded per year in 1990-99 has increased from 8,388 to 10,951 in all fields of study. But the number of doctorates in engineering has been erratic with a low of 298 to a high of 696 per year during the last decade.

Compared to other countries, India’s performance is dismal. Out of a total 10,500 PhDs in 2001, science and engineering together account for 5,100. Of these, the number of engineering PhDs is estimated at about 800 as compared to 26,354 such PhDs awarded in the United States of America in 1999. The technical education system in India at present is tuned to low-end capability.

To rectify this, and to provide qualified manpower for the knowledge-based industries, the proposed IIESTs are supposed to concentrate on MTech, MSc and PhD level programmes. The newly transformed institutions will offer five-year integrated dual degree (BTech-MTech) programmes and phase out their existing four-year bachelor’s degree programmes. This will allow them to offer innovative programmes with a larger scope of inter- and multi-disciplinary electives which is not easily possible in the four-year time frame.

One of the key features of the IITs is their independent governance system. Each IIT has a board of governors headed by a distinguished academic or an industrialist. Its members are mostly professionals. The council of IITs, chaired by the HRD ministry, which acts as an advisory body, promotes coordination among them. Thus, over the decades, IITs have acquired a distinct brand image as India’s foremost prestigious technical institutions.

But there are other high level institutions like the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institutes of Management and a few deemed universities which have a national reputation and have autonomous governance. Thus it is imperative that the proposed IIESTs are granted autonomy in governance if they are to assure good performance. A council similar to the IITs may facilitate synergy.

However, this is where the state government has thrown a spanner in the works. Governance has been the most contentious issue so far as the issue of upgrading Besu is concerned. The state government, insisting on a more participatory mode of governance, has sought a model structured along the lines of Indian Statistical Institute.

The other contentious issue is that of admission of students. Admissions to the five-year dual degree programme should be on an all-India basis through a national level entrance test such as those evolved by the IIESTs. Similarly, the admissions to the two-year MTech course would be based on approved national level examinations. In other words, the students admitted to these institutions would be on the basis of an evaluation of merit at an all-India level.

What will actually transform these institutions into those of international repute will be their ability to attract and retain first-rate faculty. The IISc, the IITs and IIMs have demonstrated this in ample measure. The best possible faculty would have to be inducted in these institutes on an all-India basis. This will give them a balanced composition and help them overcome their predominantly local and regional character.

As for their legal status as INIs, their functions should be prescribed by legislation. Their resources for capital and recurring expenditure should be derived from central funds. Other funds, such as those obtained from state governments or other national or international funding agencies, should have no strings attached in order to preserve their autonomy.

The question now is whether the HRD ministry and the West Bengal government let an IIEST happen in Shibpur? Will the Central and state governments work towards bringing high quality technical education to the state?

Minister yet to apply mind on IIT issue

2006-12-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

SOUTHERN NEWS - KARNATAKA

Dec 27, 2006
Minister yet to apply mind on IIT issue
Tuesday December 26 2006 14:17 IST

DHARWAD: Dharwad City, which had vied with Bangalore earlier to set up prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) seems to have lost battle for Medak in Andhra Pradesh.

With AP Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy announcing in the Assembly recently that Union HRD Ministry had agreed to set up the IIT there, space scientist U R Rao Committee recommended Dharwad seemed to have missed the bus in bagging the IIT as the State Government failed to act on time.

When S R Bommai was Union HRD Minister, he had formed U R Rao Committee to recommend locations for setting up of new IITs in the country under 11th Five Year Plan. UR Rao wanted Dharwad to house IIT in south India.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister's scientific adviser CNR Rao too wanted the IIT project to come up either in Mysore or in North Karnataka.

Now, it is the turn of Andhra Pradesh after Tamil Nadu to snatch the project. In 1959 when the Centre proposed to set up IIT in Karnataka, it went to Tamil Nadu.

Sources said the State Government sent a proposal recommending Hasan and Bangalore for an IIT in south.

The IIT loss can be considered as a personal blow to Energy Minister H D Revanna who campaigned to set up the institute in his home district Hasan and sent a proposal to Union HRD Ministry in this connection.

Having known these developments, S R Bommai wrote to Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh in August asking him to implement UR Committee recommendation.

In reply Singh wrote to Bommai on November 30, a copy of which is available with this website's newspaper, that Ministry is in the process of finalising proposals for the 11th Five Year Plan, which will include opening of new technical institutions like IITs/IIMs. Accordingly, your (Bommai's) request will be given due consideration at the appropriate time.

Member of Parliament Prahlad Joshi too has raised the issue during zero hour of Parliament House demanding Centre to set up IIT in Dharwad.

Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar told this paper that he had written to PM Manmohan Singh and Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh assuring State's cooperation in setting up of IIT and was ready to earmark 300 acres of land for the said purpose in City.

He has plans to pressurise the Centre in next a couple of days through Higher Education Minister D H Shankaramurthy.

When contacted Shankaramurthy on Monday over telephone, he told that I am yet to apply my mind on this issue. Officers are on casual leave, so I am presently not informed about this matter.

The Minister said that Congress-ruled AP Government and coalition Karnataka Government had their own ways to take benefits from Centre for their respective states.

State will continue its efforts to persuade Centre to set up IIT in the State.

An old press release on IIT KGP branch campus in BBSR

2006-12-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

(Chitta: Somehow I had missed blogging this earlier. I am putting it now, just for records.)

PRESS RELEASE OF 29/09/2006(CM MEETS UNION HRD MINISTER....)

GOVERNMENT OF ORISSA

PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi

September 29, 2006

The Chief Minister, Orissa, Shri Naveen Patnaik met the Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Shri Arjun Singh today to discuss about the establishment of a campus of IIT, Kharagpur in Orissa. Shri Patnaik stated that the Government of Orissa have offered 300 acres of land next to Bhubaneswar city for setting up the campus and the State Government is fully committed to provide all necessary assistance for the institution. Since Orissa is fast emerging as a hub for industrial activities, an institution of the stature of IIT will provide the much needed boost to the efforts of the Government in providing support to these industries. The Union Minister, Shri Arjun Singh stated that the Central Government is positively inclined for setting up such an institution soon.

The Chief Minister also discussed about the establishment of a new Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) at Bhubaneswar regarding which he had earlier written to the Prime Minister. In view of the growth of Bhubaneswar as a major centre for IT and IT-enabled services, it is ideally located for a IIIT. The State Government is willing to provide land for the institution. The Union Minister, Shri Arjun Singh responded that the Government of India will definitely consider the case of Bhubaneswar favourably while sanctioning new IIITs in the near future.

IITs to come up in Bihar, Andhra and Rajasthan

2006-12-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

IITs to come up in Bihar, Andhra and Rajasthan

[ 21 Dec, 2006 0323hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

JAIPUR: With the Union human resource development ministry approval, the path has been cleared for the setting up of three more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) — in Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. At present there are seven IITs in the country — in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Roorkee, Chennai and Guwahati.

Vasudeo Devnani, minister of state for education, Rajasthan has been demanding the opening of an IIT for sometime now, as students from the state qualify in large number in IIT-JEE entrance and the state has produced number of toppers in the examination.

Rajasthan government is yet to decide where the IIT would be located, as the state government will have to make available 500 to 600 acres of land for setting up the institute. The chances are that it would be set up either in Jaipur or Kota.

Earlier, the state government had proposed that Kota Engineering College run by the state government be converted into an IIT, as all the necessary infrastructure was available there.

=============================================================================

Chitta's note: Its great that Bihar and Rajasthan are two of the new IIT locations. Both were in the bottom of the HRD funded states list.

Eighth IIT to be located in Andhra Pradesh

2006-12-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

Eighth IIT to be located in Andhra Pradesh
December 19, 2006
By Indo Asian News Service

Hyderabad, Dec 19 (IANS) The government will set up the eighth Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy announced in the state assembly Tuesday.

Making a statement in the house, he said the union human resource development (HRD) ministry had given a green signal for the premier institute - widely regarded as one India's centres for excellence - that would come up at Isnapur near Sanga Reddy in Medak district, about 100 km from the state capital.

'I am happy to inform this house that I have just received a communication from (HRD Minister) Arjun Singh informing that one IIT is sanctioned to Andhra Pradesh in response to our sustained request for locating an IIT in our state,' he said.

This acceptance is part of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan agenda to start three new IITs in the country, the chief minister added.

The HRD ministry has requested the state government to identify and allot 500-600 acres of land free of cost, with physical and social infrastructure, including road, rail and air connectivity.

'Therefore, my government has decided to locate the IIT in Medak district, which was once represented by former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the Lok Sabha as it will satisfy the requirements laid down by the HRD minister,' he said.

The chief minister recalled that the assembly had earlier adopted a resolution requesting the government for an IIT at Basara, the temple town of goddess Saraswati (the Hindu goddess of learning) on the banks of river Godavari in Adilabad district.

'However, we are constrained to locate it in Medak district having proximity to the metropolitan twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad, in view of the letter of the HRD minister,' Rajasekhara Reddy explained.

He expressed the hope that the IIT in Medak would help develop the backward Telangana region where a powerful section of people have been agitating for a separate state.

'This, I am sure, will help develop the backward parts of Telangana, providing opportunities to a large number of our youngsters to pursue high quality technical education, which is our strong point in the entire country,' Reddy said.

As some members expressed their disappointment over ignoring Basara, the chief minister announced that a 21st century gurukul (traditional centre of learning) institute would be set up in the temple town.

There are seven IITs in India - in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati, Kanpur and Chennai.
It was not immediately known where the two other new IITs would be located.

Andhra gets green signal to set up IIT

2006-12-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

Andhra gets green signal to set up IIT
[ 19 Dec, 2006 1721hrs ISTIANS ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates

HYDERABAD: The central government has sanctioned an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy announced in the state assembly on Tuesday.

Making a statement in the house, he said the union human resource development (HRD) ministry had given a green signal for the premier institute that would come up at Isnapur near Sanga Reddy in Medak district.

"I am happy to inform this house that I have just received a communication from (HRD Minister) Arjun Singh informing that one IIT is sanctioned to Andhra Pradesh in response to our sustained request for locating an IIT in our state," he said.

This acceptance is part of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan agenda to start three new IITs in the country, the chief minister added.

The HRD ministry has requested the state government to identify and allot 500-600 acres of land free of cost, with physical and social infrastructure, including road, rail and air connectivity.

"Therefore, my government has decided to locate the IIT in Medak district, which was once represented by former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the Lok Sabha as it will satisfy the requirements laid down by the HRD minister," he said.

The chief minister recalled that the assembly had earlier adopted a resolution requesting the government for an IIT at Basara, the temple town of goddess Saraswati on the banks of river Godavari in Adilabad district.

The government had been lobbying hard for it.

"However, we are constrained to locate it in Medak district having proximity to the metropolitan twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad, in view of the letter of the HRD minister," Rajasekhara Reddy explained.

He expressed the hope that the IIT in Medak would help develop the backward Telangana region.

"This, I am sure, will help develop the backward parts of Telangana, providing opportunities to a large number of our youngsters to pursue high quality technical education, which is our strong point in the entire country," Reddy said.

As some members expressed their disappointment over ignoring Basara, the chief minister announced that a 21st century gurukul institute would be set up in the temple town.

There are seven IITs in India - in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati, Kanpur and Chennai.

IIT Kanpur and IIM Lucknow's branch campuses in NOIDA

2006-12-16T00:43:00.000-08:00

Sec-62 to host IIT-Kanpur’s campus in Noida

VARUN SINHA

NOIDA, DECEMBER 15 In its continuing endeavour to emerge as a knowledge hub, the Noida Authority yesterday allotted four acres of land to the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) to set up its Noida campus. It is reportedly the first time that an IIT satellite campus is being set up.

Noida Authority Additional CEO Ravindra Naik says Noida was honoured by IIT’s decision to open a campus here, adding that the move confirms that Noida is by far the best location around Delhi in terms of infrastructure and amenities. He added that the presence of key industries in Noida and the township’s proximity to Delhi would prove advantageous to the IIT.

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Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Yashpal Singh said the Noida Authority had sent a proposal to the Director, IIT Kanpur sometime ago requesting that a satellite campus be set up in the township. After IIT-K evinced interest, the Noida Authority allotted four acres in Sector 62.

Singh pointed out that Greater Noida has already become a tech zone. Companies like Wipro and NIIT have already acquired plots for their campuses in Greater Noida. Noida already has HCL and TCS.

Having an IIT satellite campus in Noida should greatly boost the existing IT industry — in terms of trained manpower and cutting-edge technology.

The Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM-L) opened a new campus in Noida in May this year. It was allotted nearly 20 acres in Sector-62 but while the building there is being built, it is temporarily operating out of Sector 16.

TD, BJP want IIT only at Basar in AP: AndhraCafe

2006-12-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

TD, BJP want IIT only at Basar
Updated: 12-11-2006 By Administrator Email this Page

Hyderabad : In a quick reaction to Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy hinting at the setting up o an IIT near the city, the main opposition TDp and BJP expressed their opposition stating that it should come up at Basar in Adilabad district as originally proposed.
In a statement, TDP president N Chadnrababu Niadu said that the Assembly had adopted a unanimous resoluton to establish IIT at Basar. "The Central and State governemtns should adhere to the resolution as it was a major pilgrim centre and also a backward area," he said.

In another statement, BJP state president B Daddatreya pointed out that the latest decision would undermine the collective wisdom of the Assembly. He urged the State Government to establish the IIT at Basar.

FRAT demand on IIT

2006-11-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Nov 27, 2006
FRAT demand on IIT
Sunday November 26 2006 08:49 IST

T’PURAM: The Federation of Residents’ Associations Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT) on Saturday demanded that the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) should be set up in Thiruvananthapuram district. The demand comes in the wake of the government’s announcement that a satellite centre of the Chennai IIT would be set up in Palakkad.

FRAT leaders T K Bhaskara Panicker and Adv Paraniyam Devakumar pointed out that Thiruvananthapuram was decided as the ideal location during the tenure of the A K Antony Government and land had been pinpointed at Vithura.

The presence of a number of research organisations and an international airport makes Thiruvananthapuram the ideal location for the IIT, FRAT leaders said.

The State Government should thwart the attempts of an anti-Capital City lobby to hijack the IIT to another place, the FRAT leaders said.

Agami Orissa seeks full-fledged IIT

2006-11-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

Agami Orissa seeks full-fledged IIT

Pioneer News Service | Bhubaneswar

Agami Orissa, a leading organisation with an objective of highlighting educational problems in the State, held a seminar at the Utkal University on Friday under the presidentship of linguist Prof Debi Prasanna Patnaik. They unanimously resolved to support State's demand for a full-fledged IIT.

Hundreds of students and academicians, who attended the seminar, were of the opinion that even after 59 years of Independence, the State has been immensely suffering from poor education and health facility. The State is deprived of getting national institutions like IIT, IIM and Central Universities.

They pointed out that the Anandakrishna Committee, specially constituted to recommend for newer IIT campuses in the country, has selected five places where Orissa does not figure. The committee has recommended establishment of IITs in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, even though these States already have IITs, IIMs and Central Universities. Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are also privileged to have new IITs, although they have Central Universities. However, the proposal to upgrade Orissa's Burla Engineering College to an IIT was turned down.

"In light of the Centre's gross negligence of Orissa in respect of providing Central institutions and patronising higher education, Agami Orissa is planning a mass revolution in future. It has proposed an all-party consensus in the State Assembly for setting up of an IIT in the State. It also demands that Burla Engineering College be declared a Deemed University and converted to Indian Institute of Science and Technology (IIST)," said Santosh Tripathy, the convenor of the organisation.

Assurance on upgrade - Besu, 150, celebrates

2006-11-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

Assurance on upgrade
- Besu, 150, celebrates
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The state is in constant touch with the Centre over the proposed upgrade of the Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu)’s status to that of an Institute of National Importance (INI), chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Friday.

“I have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard,” Bhattacharjee said at a function to mark Besu’s 150 years of existence.

“Our higher education minister (Sudarshan Roy Choudhury), too, is trying to convince the human resources development ministry to accord the INI status to Besu, which is among the best engineering institutions in the country,” the chief minister added.

Roy Choudhury, also present at the programme, said the state government has completed all formalities for the INI status. “We are waiting for the formal announcement from the Centre.”

Bhattacharjee said he has requested the Prime Minister to be present at the function to be organised by the university on December 24.

Bhattacharjee has also pleaded with Singh to sanction around Rs 40 crore to the Shibpur campus to enable it to implement its projects.

Both the chief minister and the education minister, however, were silent on the proposal of bestowing the IIT status on Besu. (An INI tag for Besu would not automatically lift it to the level of IIT, though all IITs are INIs.)

The duo did not mention the admission procedure and the model of governance the institution would follow if it were declared an IIT.

The human resources development ministry in September had sought a “clear stand” from the state government on these issues.

The chief minister welcomed the string of projects the university has undertaken for its all-round development. He appreciated the plan to set up an automobile engineering centre. “Bengal is progressing fast in the automobile sector. We will need a large number of automobile engineers shortly,” he added.

NIT upgrade Bill ready for House: Indian Express

2006-11-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

NIT upgrade Bill ready for House

The legislation is expected to help the 17 NITs become ‘centres of excellence’

SHUBHAJIT ROY
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 23

HAVING got a green signal from the parliamentary panel on education, the Centre is readying the final draft of a proposedlegislationwhichwill empower the National Institutes of Technology — formerly known as Regional engineering colleges — to the level of IITs.

The National Institutes of Technology Bill 2006, referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry early this year, will be introduced in the Winter Sessionforpassage,HRDsources toldTheIndianExpresstoday. The report of the Standing Committee was tabled in the Parliament today.

The proposed legislation is expected to help NITs — there are 17 in all — to become “centres of excellence”, especiallyintermsofpost-graduate technical education and research. The Bill will also provide academic, administrative and financial autonomy to these institutes, similar to the seven IITs in the country.

The parliamentary panel, headedbyCongress’Janardan Dwivedi,hadproposedthatall NITs be brought under the Institutes of Technology Act (whichgovernsallIITs)butthe HRDministryhadrepliedthat there were differences between the two categories of technical institutes — while IITs had a specialised highlevel entrance exam, NITs have a region or state-specific focus. The panel, in its report, concluded:“Itbelievesthatthe NITs will develop and grow faster separately than with the IITs.” The panel, in its report, hasalsosuggestedabiggerrole for the state governments in the functioning of the NITs.

HRD officials said the Bill was being given final touches and the ministry would carry out the amendments before it reintroduced the bill in the Winter Session.

CPI (M) seeks IIT in Telangana

2006-11-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

CPI (M) seeks IIT in Telangana
Special Correspondent
Party to take up the issue in forthcoming session of Parliament

HYDERABAD: Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded that the Central Government set up one of the three proposed Indian Institutes of Technology in Telangana region of the State.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, CPI (M) Polit Bureau member and MP Sitaram Yechury said the IIT should be set up in one of the backward regions of the State, preferably Adilabad district of Telangana region. Though the State Assembly had passed a resolution seeking setting up of IIT here even if it was on a cost-sharing basis, no step had been initiated thus far in this direction.

The party had, therefore, decided to take up the matter in the forthcoming session of Parliament, he said.

Higher education to suffer from less funds

2006-11-17T06:26:00.000-08:00

Higher education to suffer from less funds

Chetan Chauhan

New Delhi, November 17, 2006

Higher education has put the HRD ministry in a paradoxical situation.
Its plan to give a major fillip to technical education by increasing the annual intake by about 30,000 seats may get dwindled, courtesy its social upliftment programme - 27 per cent OBC reservation.

The Planning Commission, which has agreed to allocate over 18,000 crores for expansion of higher education institutions to introduce 27 per cent OBC reservation, may not have sufficient funds for other higher education stream, technical education.

Other areas (in higher education) might suffer, as government is committed for implementing the affirmative action and universalisation of secondary education, a commission official said.

As per the commission estimates, it can spare only about Rs 10,500 crore in the 11th plan for technical education, including funds for expansion and improvement of the existing institutions.

"That’s why we are emphasising on more involvement of private sector in higher education," a commission official explained. Estimates for higher education is six times the money allocated in the 10 plan, whereas for technical education the increase has just been doubled.

HRD minister Arjun Singh has proposed to set up three new IITs, 20 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), five Indian Institutes of Management, three Indian Institutes of Science Educational and Research and four Schools of Planning and Architecture. Apart from them, seven engineering institutes have been proposed for upgradation to the level of IITs.

HRD ministry officials said the new institutes will be different from the present ones as emphasis will be more on building ‘scientific’ know how and research.

The new institutes will come up in areas where the higher education facilities are not very good. “We will look at new town and cities for establishing the centres of excellence,” an official said.

The proposals readied by the ministry are being sent to the Planning Commission for consideration for inclusion in the final Approach Paper for the 11th plan. “We expect an indication on the status of proposals by December end,” the official said.

Three new IITs likely in 5 years

2006-11-16T06:13:00.000-08:00

Three new IITs likely in 5 yearsAdd to Clippings
URMI A GOSWAMI

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2006 01:40:26 AM]
NEW DELHI: IIT aspirants will soon have more options. The government proposes to set up three new IITs over the next five years. At a time when there is a global talent crunch for quality engineers, the government’s move is a boon to students as well as employers.

The three new IITs will admit 3,000 students annually, which will augment by 75% the existing capacity of 3,980 for the country’s seven IITs together. These IITs will come at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore per annum for nearly six years.

The ministry of human resource development has written to the Planning Commission for an in-principle approval. The institutes will be set up over the Eleventh plan period — ’07-’12. Each of the new institutes would require sustained funding of Rs 650 crore annually for the first six years. Recurring costs, which would include salaries, would be at Rs 231 crore per year, while non-recurring expenditure, that is capital investment, would be at Rs 419 crore annually.

Of the student intake of 3,000, nearly 2,000 will be for the undergraduate B-Tech programme, while another 500 students will be at the post graduate level and another 500 at the doctoral and post-doctoral level.

The proposed IITs will have a structure that would be somewhat different from that of the existing ones — moving away from the department-based organisation to a school-based one. Each school — be it engineering sciences, natural sciences or design and creative arts — will have their own research and development activities. It would seem the aim is not merely to increase the number and quality of science and engineering manpower, but also to improve research activities at the IITs.

The proposal comes at a time when the paucity of science and engineering manpower has become an issue of serious concern. India has only 3.5 science and engineering personnel for every 1,000 persons, as against 110 for Japan, 45.9 in South Korea, 76 in Israel. CNR Rao, chairman, Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister has on occasion expressed the need to set up new IITs to increase the numbers of PhDs produced in the country. India produces about 4,000 PhDs every year, China generates 16,000 and Brazil 10,000.

For the academic session beginning June ’06, as many as 3 lakh students competed for the 3,980 seats in seven IITs. Of the 3,980 seats up for grabs in the seven IITs, 2,896 seats are in the general category, 584 for Scheduled Caste applicants, 293 for Scheduled Tribe applicants and 117 seats for persons with physical disabilities.

===============================================
Thanks Yogesh for pointing me to this item. Chitta

Govt. to set up IIT-style petro institute near Amethi (UP)

2006-11-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

Govt. to set up IIT-style petro institute in UP

NEW DELHI -- In order to train professionals for the entire hydrocarbon value chain, including upstream and downstream and to meet the manpower requirement in petroleum sector in future, the central government has decided to establish a IIT-like petro institute exclusively in Uttar Pradesh’s Peeparpur area.

The area which falls under Sultanpur district, would see an investment of Rs. 860 crore in the next 10 year. The Proposed institute would be named as Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RPIT).

According to Petroleum Minsitry, out of the total Rs. 860 crore earmarked for the project, Rs 150 crore will come from Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB), basically for capital expenditure. Companies like ONGC, IOC, BPCL, HPCL and Gail will jointly contribute Rs. 250 crore for the institute. However, Rs. 45 crore under the head will come as fees and other earnings of the institute. The balance of Rs. 416 crore for capital expenditure will be met through budgetary support.

The government in a later stage is also planning to rope in private oil companies such as Reliance, Essar and Cairn Energy.

According to sources, the government would soon introduce a Bill in Parliament to give institute the status of national importance. The institute would be one of the new schemes in 11th five-year plan. An in-principle approval has also already been granted by Planning Commission.

“The government sees massive manpower requirement by the sector in future. Additional workforce required by the hydrocarbon sector is expected to be 12,000 in 2010 and 23,000 in 2015, and the existing institutes are not equipped to meet the demand. The government considered capacity enhancement of select institutions such as Indian School of Mines and IITs, but these institutions are not exclusive in nature”, an official said.

The proposal of the institute has already drawn the support of the department of science & technology, ministry of human resource development, department of public enterprises and ministry of law & justice.

Kerala MPs to use collective power for state’s demands

2006-11-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

Kerala MPs to use collective power for state’s demands
Sunday November 12 2006 00:00 IST

UNI

T’PURAM: Members of Parliament from Kerala on Saturday decided to voice their concern and to use their collective power to get the centre saction the state’s demands.

Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who convened the conference, asked the MPs to put pressure on the centre for speedy implementation of the pending projects of the state. The centre had provided assistance to the agriculture sector, he said, adding farmers still resorted to suicide, which was unfortunate.

He asked the members to exert pressure on the centre for more assistance to Kerala farmers. On the Vizhinjam deep sea transhipment terminal, Achuthanandan said a clarification from the centre was needed in this respect. “Security clearance was denied to the Vizhinjam project. But the centre had not specified on what basis the clearance was denied”, he said.

He also said the centre should come out with an agriculture debt relief commission. The 17-MPs who attended the conference resolved to lobby with the centre for the speedy implementation of the projects put forward by the state.

They also said that the opening of the two institutions - IIT and the Indian institute of science - would be raised during the parliament session.

Moily committee recommendation worsens inequity?

2006-11-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

Moily committee recommendation worsens inequity?
- it should be preceded by correction mechanisms.

Chitta Baral, Professor, Arizona State University. chitta@gmail.com

How can it be?

The Moily committee was established to figure out ways to implement
additional reservations for OBC categories in various centrally
funded institutions across India in such a way that the number of
seats currently available for the general category students does not
diminish.

The Moily committee has come up with a road map of extending the
capacity of the various centrally funded educational institutions
by 54%. For the existing institutions it gives an estimate of
additional expenditure so that these institutions can increase
their intake by 54% without affecting their quality parameters
such as student-teacher ratio.

The pages 84-86 of the Moily committee report – available in the
planning commission web site – lists the various centrally funded
institutions under its purview and estimated expenditure for those
institutions. We used that data to see how much the Moily committee
recommends spending in various states of India. In this we focused
on the HRD ministry funded institutions and did not consider the
medical and the agricultural institutions as they are funded by
other ministries. Moreover the existing inequity in medical spending
is being corrected through the establishment of 6 new AIIMS-like
institutions and upgradation of several existing institutions.

We found that the committee recommends spending Rs. 97.94 per person
across India. Among the states, the expenditure per person is
highest in Delhi (Rs. 1685.64) followed by Uttaranchal (Rs.
585.16), Tripura (Rs. 158.72), Himachal Pradesh (Rs. 128.3), Assam
(Rs. 127.52), Meghalaya (Rs. 122.92), West Bengal (Rs. 122.09),
Jharkhand (Rs. 117.48), UP (Rs. 110.99), Manipur (Rs. 109.43) and
Mizoram (Rs. 98.29). On the bottom end Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and
Sikkim have zero estimated expenditure, followed by Bihar (Rs.
13.13), Andhra Pradesh (Rs. 24.46), Rajasthan (Rs. 25.08), Gujarat
(Rs. 30.82), Orissa (Rs. 33.59), Kerala (Rs. 49.24), Madhya Pradesh
(Rs. 49.35), Maharashtra (Rs. 59.67), Haryana (Rs. 62.84),
Chhatisgarh (Rs. 70.51), Nagaland (Rs. 70.86), Punjab (Rs. 81.06),
Karnataka (Rs. 91.96), Tamil Nadu (Rs. 97.36) and Jammu & Kashmir
(Rs. 97.76). The spreadsheet that calculates these numbers is
available at http://www.equitableindia.org.

The above numbers are additional expenditure estimate in lieu of the 54%
increase in seats and do not include the regular expenditure. The
regular expenditures are not easily available as in the Indian
budget the expenditure for all IITs are given as a single number,
and the same is true with respect to the IIMs, the NITs, and the
central universities. Nevertheless, the above numbers give a good
idea of the later numbers.

In the past, news items such as Chetan Chauhan's November 4th
article in Hindustan Times gave some partial information of inequity
in state wise higher education funding and its impact. In that
article he says: "as many as 20 per cent of urban youth are enrolled
in colleges as compared to just 7.9 per cent in rural India. Orissa,
which gets dismal allocation for higher education from the Centre,
has only 4.1 per cent rural youth enrolled. Similar pattern is
observed in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. The
exceptions are the north-eastern states, where most universities are
funded by the Central Government, with overall higher education
enrolment figure close to 40 per cent." Using the Moily committee
numbers, for the first time an average citizen can get a clear idea
on how India has discriminated and continues to discriminate among
its states with respect to HRD spending on centrally funded
institutions. Thus, unless balancing mechanisms are used the Moily
committee recommendation further worsens the existing inequity.

Fortunately, there have been second hand indications that the HRD
ministry may take some balancing actions. In particular, three IITs
have proposed branch campuses with the aim to make them full-fledged
IITs with similar number of students within a few years: Besides a
proposal for a research campus in Kolkata, IIT Kharagpur has
proposed a branch campus in Bhubaneswar, Orissa; IIT Madras has
proposed a branch campus in Kerala; and IIT Bombay has proposed a
branch campus in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. We sincerely hope that the
HRD ministry formally approves and announces these initiatives at
the earliest so that subsequent approval of the Moily committee
recommendations will not be seen as worsening the inequitable
distribution of HRD money in centrally funded institutions. In
addition similar initiatives must be made with respect to Bihar,
Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, the other three big states at the
bottom of the HRD spending figure. The established IIMs, many of
which are having difficulty in finding adjoining space for
expansion, should follow the lead of IIT Kharagpur, Madras and
Bombay and consider establishing branch campuses in other states.
Finally, we hope that the planning commission and the HRD ministry
will notice the correlation and causal connection between the higher
education enrollment figure of close to 40 percent in the north east
states and the fact that most universities in those states are
centrally funded, and adopt a similar approach to the backward and
super backward districts of India. In particular, they should plan
the establishment of multi-campus (a la Delhi University and
Allahabad University) distributed central universities in backward
district clusters of India.

IIT Powai goes to Gujarat, 300 acres campus

2006-11-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

IIT Powai goes to Gujarat, 300 acres campus
By: Staff Reporter

Powai - 05 Nov 06 :Last week, the IIT-Powai board sent its proposal to the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development for the final nod to the new campus to be located in 300 acres area in Ganghinagar, Gujarat to be named IIT-G. This would not be an extension of IIT Powai but a full fledged campus some three kms from the state capital. The Gujarat campus would have 4,000 - 4,500 students, almost the same as Powai.

“We are just waiting for a nod from the Centre, and construction would be up and going in next six months. The project was conceived by the Chief Minister himself and the government has put it on fast track,” said P Paneerval, Principal Secretary, Min. of Education.

The proposed institute will have courses specific to the development of the State, like Marine and Ship Building , Textile Engineering, and Aeronautical Engineering. The new campus would be ready only by 2008, IIT-G would start functioning from the Gandhinagar Engineering College campus on the Koba highway from April-June 2007.
“Provisions are being made for faculty and holding of the Joint Entrance Exam here as well. We were earlier trying to take land in Ahmedabad, but later zeroed in on Gandhinagar for its excellent institutional development,” said a senior official of Education Department to media last week.

NSS study reveals dismal allocation for higher education from center to Orissa

2006-11-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

NSSO study shows widening urban-rural gap
Chetan Chauhan, New Delhi, November 4, 2006

The latest National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) findings put the gross enrolment ratio in higher education at just 11.4 per cent as against University Grants Commission claim of 13 per cent.

The NSSO clearly demonstrates a widening urban-rural gap in education, girl child and weaker sections not reaching the highest level of competitive education and dramatic fall in classroom attendance as students reach higher level of education.

With higher education infrastructure growing mostly in urban areas, as many as 20 per cent of urban youth are enrolled in colleges as compared to just 7.9 per cent in rural India. Orissa, which gets dismal allocation for higher education from the Centre, has only 4.1 per cent rural youth enrolled. Similar pattern is observed in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. The exception are the north-eastern states, where most universities are funded by the Central Government, with overall higher education enrolment figure close to 40 per cent.

The debate over reservation to socially weaker sections in admission in higher educational institutions gets an interesting backing from the report findings. The study says the forward castes are much ahead of SCs/STs and OBCs when it comes to enrolment in colleges. As compared to just 8.2 per cent for SC, 8.9 per cent for STs and 9.5 per cent for OBCs, the enrolment figure for forward castes is about 17 per cent. However, their enrolment at primary level is comparative with forward castes.

The social bias against the girl child is clearly evident from the NSSO findings. Though 79 per cent of the girl population enrol in schools only 7.7 per cent reach higher educational institutions. The enrolment rate of boys in colleges is almost double than that of girls even though the difference in admission between the two at primary level is just five per cent.

If the girl is born in the weaker section, reaching higher education becomes even more difficult. Only 4.9 per cent Scheduled Caste girls reach higher education, with girls in Other Backward Classes slightly better with 5.8 and as high as seven per cent in Scheduled Tribes. But among forward castes, the number of girls taking admission in colleges is as high as 13 per cent.

Earlier this week, UGC chairman SK Thorat at an ASSOCHAM seminar on higher education had called private participation to bridge these disparities.

Cochin University of Science and Technology may not be upgraded to IIEST

2006-11-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

KOCHI

Nov 5, 2006

Cochin University of Science and Technology may not be upgraded to IIEST
Monday October 30 2006 12:21 IST

KOCHI: Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) might not see itself being upgraded to Indian Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology (IIEST).

The "yes", but "no" message sent by the State Government to the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has cast a shadow in the university.

It is learnt that the State Government has given a conditional nod for the proposal. Government sources have confirmed, "We have agreed in principle, but have asked for further negotiations." The clauses laid down by the government pertaining to student intake and constitution of the governing council in the letter of consent may not go down well with the MHRD.

The Professor M Anandakrishnan Committee, which identified Cusat and four other institutions to be upgraded as IIESTs, has clearly stated in its report that the IIESTs would have to preserve an all-India character in student population through national-level admission tests, either by adopting the Joint Entrance Examination system of the Indian Institutes of Technology or the All-India Engineering Entrance Examination. This clause is not acceptable to the State Government. "We have objections to this clause. Though we have not asked for specific percentage, our demand is that a major portion of students should be from Kerala," government sources said.

The government has also objected to some of the recommendations regarding the constitution of the governing council of the institute. The government suggested that it should have considerable representation in the governing council. Out of the estimated 12 members in the council, the government can now recommend three to four persons. And the government wants more representation. Each institute will have an executive council and an academic council to be chaired by the president of the institute.

"It is really unfortunate that we are not able to take advantage of such a proposal. It is perhaps one of the largest investments in higher education post-Independence and nobody is excited about the proposal," said Cusat Vice-Chancellor P K Abdul Azis. Of the total budgetary recommendation of Rs 2,407.86 crore for these institutions during the 2007-2012 plan period, Cusat will get Rs 518.81 crore, he said.

IIESTs will be predominantly postgraduate institutions offering five-year integrated dual degree (BTech/M.Tech), two-year MArch, five-year integrated MSc, two-year master's degree programmes in arts, science, architecture and management and PhD programmes. IIESTs will also have specific provisions for international students and faculty. The other four institutions identified to become IIESTs are the Bengal Engineering and Science University, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, College of Engineering, Andhra University, and University College of Engineering and Technology, Osmania University.

It is learnt that the State Government has given a conditional nod for the proposal.

PM ADDRESSES 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF KERALAPPIRAVI

2006-11-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

PM ADDRESSES 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF KERALAPPIRAVI
	20:28 IST

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, participated in the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the State of Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram, today. Following is the text of the Prime Minsiter’s address at the occasion:

“I am truly delighted to be with you on this important occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the State of Kerala. I join you in saluting the great leaders of Kerala who contributed to the emotional and political integration of this great State. The people of Kerala have made India proud. Your creativity, your enterprise, your skills and hard work have won you laurels across the world and across our vast nation. Kerala has progressed a great deal in these past fifty years. I hope the next century will be Kerala’s century.

In the fifty years of its existence as a state of our Republic, Kerala has achieved international fame for its record in human development particularly in the fields of education, health and women empowerment. Among Indian states, it is by far the best in this regard and its record compares favourably with advanced countries in the world. The Kerala Model has proved that people of developing countries can enjoy a quality of life that can equal those of the best through the right mix of policies.

Kerala has been able to achieve this through radical redistribution of assets, investment in human development, democratic participation and collective action. In doing so, it has presented a model to the world that is worthy of emulation and is widely studied all over the world.

Kerala has always welcomed change from all corners and, as visualized by Gandhiji, you have kept your doors and windows open to ideas from across oceans and mountains. The rulers of Kerala were progressive even in pre-independence days, giving priority to health, education and the arts. Christian Missionaries whom Kerala welcomed, further advanced this trend. There were several social reform movements pioneered by Sri Narayana Guru, Chattambi Swamikal, Ayyankali, Mannathu Padmanabhan, Swami Ananda Theerthan, VT Bhattathiripad and others that sought an egalitarian order or fought specific prejudices. Their progressive ideas helped in the state’s development.

Education has played a critical role in Kerala’s transformation. The yearning of every Keralite for acquiring knowledge was best exemplified by the great Adi Sankara himself. Knowledge that was once the privilege of a few was democratized and made available to all. I am told there is a library in every village in Kerala. I hope this will soon be true of every village in the country.

In fact the worship of knowledge and the written word is an intrinsic part of our civilization and culture. In the river-island of Majuli in Assam, God is worshipped in the form of the written word of a manuscript. Sikhs worship the wisdom and humanism embodied in the Guru Granth Sahib. For millions of Indians, Saraswati Puja is a celebration of our devotion to learning. The regular study of the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran shows the value all of us attach to learning.

Here, in Kerala, all these religious streams have come together and lived together in harmony. Kerala has for long remained an admirable symbol of the idea of “unity in diversity”. I urge each one of you to make sure that Kerala continues to be a fine example of our composite culture. Kerala should show the entire country, indeed the entire world, how people of different faiths can live together, work together, in peace and harmony.

Your investment in human development has contributed to your social and geographical mobility. Keralites have traveled to far corners of the world, performing a wide range of services. I take this occasion to specially greet non-resident Keralites living abroad and sending their savings home, Their remittances help your economy and contribute to our national resources. The overseas Keralites are the biggest beneficiaries of open borders and free movement of people. They can help in generating new thoughts and ideas for the progress of this State.

While the people of Kerala will continue to do well outside, we must also make sure that we create conditions in Kerala that will enable every Keralite to live up to her or his full potential. Some feel that the Kerala model may be fraying on the edges; that it is unable to generate adequate growth to build on its excellent record in welfare and human development. Kerala also needs new avenues of economic growth and employment generation. The State must invest more in skill-based education to increase the employability of its youth. The recent outbreaks in epidemics that affected Kerala also point to the fact that while curative services have increased their spread, public health issues remain weak.

Kerala has demonstrated the importance and efficacy of public investment in social sectors. However, public services are the instruments through which human development takes place, not an end in themselves. We need to work to upgrade the quality of public services and make them more efficient, more relevant to our times and more focused on meeting current needs.

Kerala has already taken a major lead in tourism, which has considerable employment potential. Kerala also needs new investment in horticulture, dairy farming, agri-business, information technology and the services sector. It must build on its excellent human resource base to promote the manufacturing and service sectors. I am aware that the agriculture sector in the State faces several challenges. Paddy cultivation seems to be on the decline, threatening many livelihoods. Plantation crops such as tea, coffee, spices and traditional industries such as coir and cashew are passing through periodic crises. Many feel that this has been caused by the winds of globalisation and the threat of imports.

The problem may lie elsewhere – in poor productivity. Kerala is known for its outward look and is a beneficiary of the outward flow of its people. We must tackle the problems of these crops, not by shutting the doors but by applying modern science and technology to improve yields and productivity. I am confident that Keralites will be able to meet this challenge successfully. The UPA government is drawing up an integrated plan for resolving the problems of these crops. We will design supportive policies for traditional industries like coir and cashew. I assure you that our Government will do whatever is needed and possible to sustain and revitalize the plantation economy in Kerala.

Fifty years is a short time in the life of a State. In these fifty years Kerala has built on its strengths. Most importantly, the people of this state have challenged insular thinking. Historically, Kerala has been open to international trade and commerce. This has made it possible to Keralites to be global citizens and outward-bound.

Kerala has engineered a politics that is both inclusive and mature enough to engage with the challenges of a globalised world on equal terms. Kerala has created a society that is tolerant of differing world views. Kerala’s culture is enriched by multiple influences fromdifferent parts of the world and India.

Kerala also represents a society where change happened from below and not dictated from above. It is a tribute to those engaged in public life in this State, its political leadership, its social leadership and its intellectual community of creative artists, academics, writers and others who were collectively engaged in contributing to a transformation of relationships from dependency to self respect and dignity. This is an appropriate occasion to remember and salute the contribution of Kerala’s leaders and thinkers in all fields.

The UPA Government will extend wholehearted support and co-operation to the various development proposals made by the Chief Minister during his speech. The demands for setting up an IIT and Institute of Science in Kerala, will be further examined and I will ask the HRD Minister to give particular attention to the needs of Kerala.

The time has come for Kerala to look ahead and think anew. A few hundred meters from where we are gathered today, is a statue of the reformer poet, Kumaran Asan, with the following lines from him inscribed.

Mattuvin chattangalel Mattuvin chattangale! Allenkil mattum athukalee ningalethanl (Reform, change the rules! Else those very rules will be your downfall)

This is a clarion call for change and for a permanent revolution in thought and action. If we don’t heed that call, yesterday’s dogma can become today’s prejudice. Yesterday’s change agents may become today’s status quoits. This call is all the more relevant today when we are living in a world where fundamentalisms of thought are challenging the people and their notions of humanity and social justice. To counter these, we need to nurture the impulses of creativity, restlessness, and change. We need to constantly question the environment around us.

Centuries ago, Kerala imagined a society built on equity and shared prosperity. The festival of Onam is a festival of remembrance and rededication to those goals. This imagination is still relevant for much of India. I call upon the youth of this State to show how we can combine the struggle for social justice and equity with a drive to be more creative and productive. To my mind that would be the fitting way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Kerala. I wish you all a bright and prosperous future. I wish your celebrations all success.”

*** YSR/HS/SKS

Future belongs to Kerala: PM (IIT, IISER?)

2006-11-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

Future belongs to Kerala: PM

The next hundred years will belong to Kerala, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday, praising the state for having kept open its doors and windows to the world and adapting to changes.

He also said that another Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an Institute of Science will be set up in Kerala.

'Fifty years have gone by and you have reached a new level. Now the next century belongs to Kerala,' he said while inaugurating the state's golden jubilee celebrations here.

'You Keralites have kept your doors and windows open to the world and have been able to adapt to changes. The unity in diversity is best seen in Kerala. I am truly delighted to be with you on the golden jubilee of the formation of your state.'

Manmohan Singh, who arrived here Tuesday night, said his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government will wholeheartedly support Kerala's demands presented to him by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan.

Referring to the demands, he said: 'Already you have an Indian Institute of Management and now I would ask my minister to see that an Indian Institute of Technology and an Institute of Science are set up here.

'We shall also design supportive policies for coir and cashew and also revitalise the plantation economy.'

Manmohan Singh praised the efforts of non-resident Keralites (NRKs) and asked them to generate newer ideas for the growth of the state.

'The need of the hour for you is to create conditions inside the state to help everyone to be on their own. The state should invest in skill-based sectors to generate newer employment opportunities. The public service should be upgraded to meet the needs of time,' he added.

He also called for the creation of a new political culture of working together.

'Kerala has to look ahead and think anew. Reforms and changes are the need of the hour. Otherwise, yesterday's dogma would be today's prejudices,' said Manmohan Singh.

Earlier, the prime minister laid the foundation stone for two new airport expansion projects in Kerala - a new terminal for the international airport and a maintenance/hangar unit of Air India.

'Our UPA government will give all help for the development of infrastructure of Kerala and we will do everything to improve connectivity, which has been a long-standing demand from here,' he said on the occasion.

Manmohan Singh complimented the efforts of Keralites the world over in keeping India's economy on an 'even keel'.

'The remittances of you Keralites have helped the balance of payments and India's economy is on an even keel.'

The areas where the state was lagging behind were industrial development and knowledge-based industries, he said. 'With the excellent human development index, progress in healthcare and education, you can catch up.'

He gave an assurance that his government would not do anything that would harm the agricultural sector.

'We are aware of the problems in the plantation sector here and you should be prepared to deal with competition in this sector from friendly neighbouring countries. The need of the hour is to use modern technology to improve agricultural productivity,' the prime minister said.

'You have the potential to make a great leap forward and for that the people, political fronts, business and the social structure should come together... And you should never fall prey to sectarian tendencies,' he added.

The prime minister returned to New Delhi in the evening.

Need for more IITs stressed

2006-10-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

Need for more IITs stressed
Special Correspondent
C.N.R.Rao says research at a standstill

Thiruvananthapuram: The Union Government is preparing a major rejuvenation programme for the universities and research institutions in the country to improve their infrastructure and boost academic performance, chairman, Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, C.N.R.Rao said here on Saturday. He was delivering the Indira Gandhi Memorial Lecture instituted by the University of Kerala.

Mr. Rao said research activities had virtually come to a standstill in Indian univerisities. "Today, our universities contribute less than five per cent of scientific research in the country," he observed. Noting that Indian investment in science was less than one per cent, he said countries such as China, South Korea and Taiwan were spending more in this sector.

"While India produces about 4,000 PhDs every year, China generates 16,000 and Brazil 10,000," he said. Mr. Rao stressed the need to set up new IITs and universities in the country. Criticising the over-emphasis on the BPO sector, he said it had resulted in a social dilemma. He lamented that professional excellence and career satisfaction had given way to the craze for wealth. "India today faces a serious shortage of engineers and well- trained scientists," he added.

Mr.Rao highlighted the need for the scientific community to reorient itself to face the new challenges posed by globalisation and market forces.

Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala, M.K.Ramachandran Nair presided over the function.

Rajarhat campus to be ready in five years

2006-10-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

Rajarhat campus to be ready in five years

Third IIT-K campus in the eastern region at Bhubaneswar likely

Express News Service

Kolkata, October 30: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur will soon announce the location for setting up its third campus in the eastern region. Though Sanjiv Goenka, chairman, board of governors, IIT Kharagpur declined to say anything on the location, the name of Bhubaneswar is doing the rounds. IIT Kharagpur on Monday announced the setting up of a new Kolkata campus at Rajarhat. The 10-acre campus, which would be built with an investment of Rs 250 crore, would be ready within the next four-five years, Goenka said. The student strength of the new campus would be around 2000, he added.

According to M Chakraborty, deputy director, the new campus would help IIT Kharagpur start inter-disciplinary courses, incubation programmes, short- term courses, etc.

“The focus would be on information technology, media & communications technologies, information assurance & security, urban and regional informatics, human resource management & business administration and bio-informatics,” Chakraborty said.

Chakraborty thinks the incubation centre for the start-ups will help in the development of R&D. “The new centre will have a major research focus, and the experience of research in Kharagpur will be replicated in the Kolkata campus.”

Haryana to have IIM soon: Hooda

2006-10-29T22:52:00.000-08:00

State to have IIM soon: Hooda
Tribune News Service

Rohtak, October 27
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said Haryana would soon have an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) for which he had already sought informal approval from Union Human Resources Minister Arjun Singh.
The Chief Minister was speaking at the inaugural function of the zonal youth festival at Lal Nath Hindu College here.

He said the state government was striving to provide quality education. The Rajiv Gandhi Education City would be set up soon. It would attract students from foreign countries also. Institutes of architecture, chartered accountancy, engineering, medicine, biotechnology and nanotechnology would be set up in the proposed city which would meet international standards.

Many institutes of international repute had shown interest in setting up their campuses in this city, he said, adding that the only one condition for these institutes was that they would have to reserve 25 per cent seats for students of Haryana. Out of these, five per cent would get full, 10 per cent would get 50 percent and the rest would get 25 percent concession in fee. He said with these concessions deserving students from poor families would be able to get a good education.

Mr Hooda said an institute of fashion designing in collaboration with NIFT would also be set up in Haryana. The state government was also setting up a university for women at Khanpur Kalan which would be the first of its kind in North India.

He said that a National Law University was also proposed at IMT, Manesar, and a regional centre would be opened at Jind. The government would develop Sir Chhotu Ram Engineering College, Murthal, as a technical university. The Chief Minister also reiterated that efforts were on to develop Maharshi Dayanand University at Rohtak as a central university.

Mr Hooda said quality education was necessary and for this he had increased the budget for education by 50 per cent. During the previous regime, there were no teachers in schools and the students were leaving government schools. Now the Congress government had advertised 12000 posts of teachers of which 33 per cent were reserved for women.

He announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh for construction of an auditorium in LN Hindu College.

Later, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the Department of Engineering and Technology building to be constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore at the MDU campus. He also laid the foundation stone of a girls’ hostel of this department. The hostel would be named after the astronaut Kalpana Chawla and would cost Rs 4 crore. It would have 130 rooms and would accommodate 240 girls.

He also told that efforts would be made to set up a light commercial vehicle manufacturing unit like that of Maruti in the proposed IMT here.

Comments:
If Haryana gets an IIM over Punjab where HRD minister promised once, then it would definitely bring more state-wise regional balance while making Institutes of National Importance.

Gandhinagar to have full-fledged IIT; Govt clears 300 acres land

2006-10-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

Gandhinagar to have full-fledged IIT; Govt clears 300 acres land

Express News Service

Gandhinagar, October 29: IT is going to be IIT-G. The Gujarat campus of IIT-Powai will be a full-fledged IIT, and not an extension of Powai. A piece of 300 acres of land, as demanded by the IIT-Powai board, has been cleared by the State education and revenue departments in Shahpur village, some three km from Gandhinagar. The sprawling IIT campus would add one more feather in the cap of Gandhinagar that is fast developing as a hub of higher education.

‘‘We are just waiting for a nod from the Centre, and construction would be up and going in next six months. The project was conceived by the Chief Minister himself and the government has put it on fast track,’’ informed P Paneerval, Principal Secretary (Education).

Last week, the IIT-Powai board sent its proposal to the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development for the final nod to the new campus.

On a visit to meet the Chief Minister last month, IIT-Powai team had informed that the new campus would be a full-fledged IIT, and not an extension of Powai. The Gujarat campus would have 4,000-4,500 students, almost the same as Powai.

There will be emphasis on courses specific to the development of the State, like Marine and Ship Building, Textile Engineering, and Aeronautical Engineering.

Though the new campus would be ready only by 2008, IIT-G would start functioning from the Gandhinagar Engineering College campus on the Koba highway from April-June 2007. ‘‘Provisions are being made for faculty and holding of the Joint Entrance Exam here as well. We were earlier trying to take land in Ahmedabad, but later zeroed in on Gandhinagar for its excellent institutional development,’’ said a senior official of Education Department.

Satellite campus of IIT(Madras) in Kerala

2006-10-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Satellite campus of IIT(Madras) in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 26 (PTI): Madras IIT has agreed to start one of their satellite campuses in Kerala, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan told the Assembly today.

The proposed campus, to be set up on 250 acres of land, required an estimated amount of rs.800 crore, he said while replying to a submission on the necessity for setting up an IIT in the state.
Achuthanandan said place for the IIT campus has not been finalised.

The state government has informed Madras IIT to start the first batch during the 2007-08 academy year in the Engineering College here. It was planned to commission the full-fledged campus of IIT within five years after starting the work of the campus,he said.
To a calling attention motion on setting up a Hight Court bench at Kozhikode,Achuthanandan said proposal for setting up the High Court bench at Thiruvananthapuram was under the active consideration of both the Centre and state governments.

There was no proposal before the government to set up a High Court bench at Kozhikode, he said.

An absence of an High Court bench at Thiruvananthapuram was causing difficulty in dealing with government cases, he said adding the state's capital was the only one in the country which did not have a High Court bench.

On speeding up the work of International Airport at Kannur, Achuthanandan said a special officer would be appointed to carry out the land acquisition process.

The State has also informed the Centre that the proposed airport coming up at Moorgkenparambu would be on a public-private partnership, he added.

To another submission, Achuthanandan said strict instructions have been given to departments and PSU heads to report the vacancies to Public Service Commission.

Action would be taken against officials who failed to report the vacancies, he said adding government would not allow persons to be appointed on daily wages in institutions and organisations where appointments were made through PSC.

A committee,under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, has been constituted to monitor the vacancy report of various departments, he said.

A total of 14,614 vacancies have been reported to the PSC by various departments after the LDF government came to power, he pointed out.

Mangalore: Coastal legislators to go to Centre over ... Surathkal to IIT

2006-10-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

Mangalore Oct 21: Though the Union Railway Minister announced Mangalore-Bangalore and Mangalore-Mysore train schedules seven months ago in the budget, the trains have not started the service. In fact, the railway lines are yet to be laid in some stretches, lamented Medical Education Minister Dr V S Acharya.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said a delegation comprising of MLAs and MPs of undivided Dakshina Kannada district under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will meet the Union Ministers and officials concerned from the railways and National Highway to discuss the problems of roads and railways in the first week of November, he said.

Stating that the National Highways maintained by the Centre have become unmotorable owing to lack of maintenance, he cited the examples of NH 17, NH 48, NH 63 and NH 13 which are in bad condition. In addition, as many as six bridges between Kundapur and Mangalore are in poor condition which is also affecting the movement of traffic, he added.

Membership

Dr Acharya said new members have been enrolled to the Party and the membership has crossed 72,000 in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Party Committee in the 10 constituencies of Dakshina Kannada and nine constituencies of Udupi district will be formed by the end of October. Later, election will be held for the District Committee President and Vice-Presidents post.

The membership is renewed once in three years, he added.

NITK

Dr Acharya also urged the Centre to give the IIT status to the Regional Engineering College at Surathkal. The regional engineering colleges of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have got the IIT status while the NITK has been neglected, he flayed.

Gutka

Speaking on the occasion, State BJP President D V Sadananda Gowda said the addiction to gutka was not due to arecanut, but due to the presence of harmful ingredients in it.

The government should ban the harmful ingredients in it and not gutka. Areca Growers Co-operative Society will hold a meeting in Bangalore on October 27 to urge the Centre not to ban gutkha. He said all the peoples representatives of nine areca growing districts will participate in the meet.

Banning of gutka will force areac farmers to commit suicide in the State, Mr Gowda added.

Beedi

Mr Gowda said that the Centre is planning to issue a notification to suspend beedi rolling. The notification also urges the beedi manufacturing units to produce it in machines and to be sold in a box like cigarettes. The government has already issued a notice to beedi company owners in this regard.

The notification will have an impact on the lives of 10 lakh beedi workers. He urged the beedi workers not to be panic and assured to provide all the possible help to them. Beedi industry should be exempted from the VAT, he added. District-in-Charge Minister B Nagaraj Shetty, MLAs Yogish Bhat, Krishna J Palemar, Padmanabha Kottari, Prabhakar Ba-ngera, Lalalji Mendon, Raghupathi Bhat, State Finance Commission Chairman A G Kodgi were present.

DHNS

IIT Kharagpur to have full-fledged campus

2006-10-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

IIT Kharagpur to have full-fledged campus

Pioneer News Service \| Bhubaneswar
While addressing the 2nd convocation of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology at Rourkela on Thursday, Director of IIT Kharagpur SK Dube said, "we have an extension centre at Bhubaneswar, and if plans go right, very soon Bhubaneswar will have a full-fledged 5,000-student strong campus."

He expressed happiness that an MoU has been signed between IIT and BPUT for improving the Under Graduate and Post Graduate teaching, laboratory development as well as research.

Dube further said that Orissa is now poised for a quantum jump. There will be many issues dealing with waste management, waste utilisation and environment connected with industrialisation. These have to be dealt with strong scientific knowledge base. The cooperation with BPUT and Orissa could be utilised in identifying solutions to these problems.

Governor of Orissa and chancellor of universities Rameshwar Thakur, presiding over the convocation, said although Orissa is endowed with abundant natural resources, it is yet to achieve the desired development and progress. Still 48 per cent people live below the poverty line.

However, Bharat Ratna Visveswarya Thakur said poverty is a disease and is curable like any other disease. The real causes of poverty, ignorance, dependence, inefficiency and lack of spirit enterprise but with courage, confidence and conviction this can be overcome.

Thakur hoped that new graduates would make a difference in the society. Dedication, hard work and innovation would be the key assets in nation building, he said. Vice- Chancellor of BPUT, ON Mohanty presented the BPUT's achievement report and future vision plan. Students of different technological institutions who have excelled in their respective branches received gold medals and certificates from the Chancellor.

IIT-Kharagpur campus in pipeline

2006-10-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

‘IIT-Kharagpur campus in pipeline’
Friday October 20 2006 11:46 IST

ROURKELA: Plans are on the anvil to set up a 5000-student campus of IIT-Kharagpur in Bhubaneswar, said Prof S K Dube, Director of IIT-Kharagpur at the second convocation of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) here on Thursday.

He said India has earned creditable recognition in science and technology due to the contribution of Indian professionals working across the world.

BPUT Chancellor Rameshwar Thakur said Orissa is in a defining phase of industrialisation and BPUT could meet the need of large pool of skilled human resources, testing facilities and research and development activities.

The convocation began with the Chancellor making at least 16,193 under-graduate and PG students worthy of receiving degrees.

BPUT Vice-Chancellor Prof. Omkarnath Mohanty also spoke.

An occasion to think forward: Statesman

2006-10-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

An occasion to think forward

Statesman News Service

ROURKELA, Oct. 19: ‘It is a happy occasion that so many graduates are going out to serve the industry and the society. These young people should remember that India has high expectations in them. They have to fulfill these by working towards eradication of poverty and fulfillment of basic human needs, said Professor SK Dube, the director of IIT Kharagpur, while addressing the 2nd convocation of Biju Patnaik University of Technology here today.

Prof. Dube said IIT Khargpur, has an extension centre in Bhubaneswar and if plans go right, very soon Bhubaneswar will have a full fledged 5,000 student strong campus. Prof. Dube expressed happiness over the quality of UG and PG teaching, laboratory development as well as research.

Prof. Dube said Orissa is now poised for a quantum jump. There will be many resultant issues dealing with waste management, waste utilisation and environment connected with industrialisation. These have to be dealt with using strong scientific knowledge base. “
The cooperation with BPUT,’ he said, and with Orissa could be utilised in identifying solutions to these problems. He said Orissa has underdeveloped areas in KBK districts and problems in these areas demand critical attention from scientists and technologists.

Governor of Orissa and chancellor of Universities, Mr Rameswar Thakur, presiding over the convocation said although Orissa is endowed with abundant natural resources, it is yet to achieve the desired development and progress. Forty-eight per cent people live below the poverty line. However, quoting Bharat Ratna Visveswaraya, Thakur said poverty is a disease and is curable like any disease, the real causes of poverty are ignorance, dependence, inefficiency, lack of spirit of enterprise, etc.” With courage, conviction and confidence, these hurdles can be overcome.”

State wants UCE in the elite club

2006-10-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

State wants UCE in the elite club
Sunday October 15 2006 10:45 IST

BHUBANESWAR: With Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat by his side, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday seized the opportunity by urging the Centre to accord University College of Engineering (UCE) Burla the status of Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST).

Addressing the Golden Jubilee function of the college here, the Chief Minister said the Anandakrishnan Committee, constituted by Ministry of Human Resource Development, had shortlisted five institutes for upgrading them into IIEST.

But, an institute of UCE’s repute has not been included.

Naveen requested the Centre to send an expert committee to assess UCE for giving it the status of IIEST, he said.

Principal of UCE Prof K C Singh said HRD Ministry had set up Joshi Committee which shortlisted seven colleges to get the status of Institutes of National Importance (INIs). Subsequently, the Ministry appointed a three-member committee, headed by Dr M Anandakrishnan to prune the list.

The committee, Singh said, submitted its report earlier in February and it had narrowed down the colleges to five. The Engineering departments of Jadavpur University and Aligarh Muslim University were left out because of land problems, but were given bloc grants of Rs 50 crore each to be developed as centres of excellence.

In fact, some of the engineering colleges received massive financial support from HRD Ministry. The Andhra University College of Engineering got an allocation of Rs 408.15 crore while Benaras Hindu University received Rs 545.95 crore for 2007-12.

After 2012, the five shortlisted institutions will get annual funding of Rs 100 crore each, close to what an IIT gets. Subsequently, the institutions would be called IIEST, a new facility different from IITs and NITs, Singh said.

Currently, UCE is facing financial constraints despite possessing excellent teaching faculty and infrastructure. It gets annual grant of Rs 4.21 crore.

Proposal to convert engineering college into IIT opposed

2006-10-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

Proposal to convert engineering college into IIT opposed

R. Ravikanth Reddy

``Decision would rob Telangana of their best institution''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Admission will be thrown open
Presidential Order keeping 85 per cent seats for local students would be violated
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HYDERABAD: The only Government Engineering College for Telangana and a premier technical institution in the country — Osmania University College of Engineering (OUCE) — will be a thing of the past if the Andhra Pradesh Government approves the Human Resource Development Ministry's proposal to take over the college for the newly planned Indian Institutes of Engineering, Science and Technology.
The OUCE, along with the Andhra University College of Engineering, Vishakapatnam, the University of Science & Technology, Kochi, the Institute of Technology, Benaras, and the Bengal Engineering College, Kolkata, were short-listed to be upgraded, based on the Anandakrishnan Committee report. If the upgrading fructifies, they would get Rs. 415 crore in the 11th Five Year Plan from 2007 to 2011.
Academics and students of the region are agitated at the proposal, as the OUCE is not just an educational institution, but also a symbol of technical education in the Telangana area. "The decision would rob Telangana students of their best institution," says Chukka Ramaiah, who has been advocating a full-fledged IIT in the State.
If the Centre's idea takes a shape, students cannot gain admission based on the State entrance test, as seats would be thrown open for all-India competition.

Student unions also represented their grievance during the Committee's visit. K. Chandra Mohan, vice-president, Students Federation of India, says that it is a ridiculous decision when the region's students are realising the importance of quality education. `
`Osmania University will be forced to cede nearly 800 acres if the proposal is approved, which we will not allow,'' says Nannuri Narsi Reddy, president, Telugu Nadu Students Front.
He says the Presidential Order that provides for 85 per cent seats exclusively for local students would also be violated, as admissions would be done on all-India basis. Some academics see the move as an attempt to nullify the State's demand for an IIT at the Saraswati temple town of Basara in Adilabad district. Mr. Ramaiah says that the S.K. Joshi Committee appointed by the previous Government finalised the venue and the Assembly passed a resolution in favour of it.
Teachers recall a similar attempt by the Central Government in 1953 that proved futile due to stiff opposition from all sections. Public representatives too are opposing the idea. Upgrading cannot be at the cost of students' interests, says Anjan Kumar Yadav, MP. ``I will raise the issue in Parliament if need be.''

Burla College alumni demand IIT status

2006-10-12T18:52:00.001-07:00

Burla College alumni demand IIT status for alma mater
Pioneer News Service | Bhubaneswar

Even as the oldest engineering college of the State, University Engineering College, Burla is celebrating its golden jubilee on Saturday (October 14) which will be inaugurated by Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, it continues to be plagued by plethora of problems.

In the last five decades the college has produced more than 13,000 technocrats but it reels under shortage of faculty as it has only 62 against a requirement of 160.

Granted the academy of autonomy status by UGC and due accreditation by AICTE the college reportedly gets an annual grant of just Rs five crore which goes mostly in salary and pension, against Rs 100-120 crore for IITs and Rs 40-50 crore for NITs.

According to the general secretary of the alumni association of the college Sridhar Behera, the body has mobilised funds to provide some badly needed infrastructure for the college but individual efforts would not cure all the problems unless there is adequate Govt attention, he felt.

Expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister for recommending UCE, Burla to HRD Ministry for IIT status, Behera said the college should at least get the IIEST status being considered by the Centre for five engineering colleges in the country. The association also demanded that the Chief Minister press HRD for Rs 40 crore as wasbeing given to Jadavpur Engineering College, Kolkata and give 300-acre land to the college which is presently illegally occupied by squatters.

Other demands placed by the association include NOC for society registration be given so that the college can be registered under the Society Registration Act which would clear the way for its claim to a deemed university status.

The alumni association has also demanded 2-acres in Bhubaneswar for an extension centre of the college and a plot for the 3,000 members.

Will UCE get its Golden Jubilee gift?

2006-10-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

BHUBANESWAR: As the University College of Engineering, Burla, gears up to celebrate its golden jubilee on October 14, the alumni association has reiterated its demand to convert it into a centre of excellence and sufficient funds for infrastructure development.

Association president Sarat Kumar Mohanty, a student of the first batch, demanded inclusion of the college in the list of probable institutes which the Centre proposes to convert into Indian Institute of Science Engineering and Technology・These centres will enjoy the status of IITs.

The college continues to be a victim of Government apathy despite the fact that its students have stamped their recognition the world over. As a result, other institutes which came up much later marched ahead eclipsing the college痴 illustrious records.

Funds crunch remains a major constraint for the college development. While centres like National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, get an annual grant of Rs 40 crore UCE manages to get Rs 5 crore.

溺ore than half the money goes into paying salaries and meeting other expenses. Hence the college should get a one-time grant of Rs 40 crore to meet its increasing requirements,・Mohanty stressed.

The Government should also hand over 300 acre of surplus land lying beside the college and two acres in the Capital for establishment of an extension centre of the college. The centre, among others, would house a placement cell where employers can pick up students directly without having to visit the campus at Burla.

The institute also has plans to add new programmes in the golden jubilee year.

Those are mineral resources and environmental science, biomedical engineering and power plant engineering. Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat would attend the function at exhibition ground here as chief guest.

Samaja repots on letter of CM, opposition leader and union state minister Mr Sahoo to HRD minister for an IIT campus

2006-10-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.thesamaja.com/dtlshw.asp?st=15&nt=REGIONAL

IIT campus: Sahu writes to Arjun for an early approval, Newindpress

2006-10-07T02:27:00.000-07:00

IIT campus: Sahu writes to Arjun for an early approval
Saturday October 7 2006 12:15 IST
BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Chandrasekhar Sahu has requested the Centre to positively consider the proposal of the IIT Kharagpur to upgrade its existing facility here to a full-fledged campus.

In a letter to the Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Arjun Singh, Sahu said as the State Government has agreed to provide 300 acres of land for the purpose, the proposal should be Okayed as early as possible.

IIT Kharagpur set up an extension campus in Bhubaneswar in 1996. Stating that the then chief minister J B Patnaik played a significant role in the opening of the extension campus, Sahu said it had generated hopes of a full-fledged campus in future. However, the hopes could not materialise for different reasons.

The Union Minister referred to the proposal of the Centre to set up a National Institute of Science for Education and Research in Bhubaneswar as contemplated by the University Grants Commission in 2003. Subsequently, the Centre decided to set up the institute in Kolkata through HRD Ministry.

The decision had generated a lot of resentment in Orissa, which led Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to announce establishment of such an institute in Bhubaneswar under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Sahu, however, pointed out that there has always been a demand for establishment of an IIT in the State.

A full-fledged campus would meet a long-standing demand of the people of the State, he said and added, this would also provide an impetus to the developmental activities in the State and contribute to its all-round growth.

Leader of Opposition JB has also written similar letter to the HRD Minister requesting him to approve the proposal at an early date.

Establishment of a full-fledged campus would meet the growing demand for higher technical education in the State as well as entire Eastern Region, he reasoned

Sambada on JB Patnaik and CS Sahu writing to HRD minister for IIT KGP campus in BBSR

2006-10-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

10 NITs to IIT-type institutions?? (Moily sets 3-year deadline for IITs, IIMs)

2006-09-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Moily sets 3-year deadline for IITs, IIMs

NEW DELHI: The Veerappa Moily panel has recommended a review of all reservation schemes in educational institutions every five years. It has, however, steered clear of the politically volatile issue of excluding the 'creamy layer' among OBCs from the ambit of job quota because of a serious in-house split.

The panel, which was set up to chart out the roadmap for implementation of the newly introduced OBC quota in Central educational institutions, has in its final report released on Wednesday, recommended the setting up of three more IIMs along with more IIT-type institutions.

Called Oversight Committee, the panel has, just like the Bill on reservations in aided institutions, recommended a three-year timeframe for rolling out the OBC quota in Central institutions, overruling IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Indore, which had asked for four years to implement the reservation scheme.

It has called for a Rs 17,200-crore package to fund the infrastructure upgrade so that there is no decline in general-category seats.

"In order to retain the general seats intact after giving 27% reservation to OBCs, 54% seat expansion would be needed which can be done at the rate of 18% every year for three years," Moily told reporters.

The panel has also recommended a hike in scholarships for students.

The proposal to set up three new IIMs should come as a relief to the droves eager to have seats in the business schools bearing the prestigious tag. As for IIT-type institutions, HRD ministry has already decided to give this status to nearly 10 National Institutes of Technology.

Explaining the roadmap, Moily said: "Implementation will begin in 2007-08 and no institution will slip out over and above three years. During our consultations with heads of various institutions, we found that staggered implementation is the best way.

PM's scientific adviser finds Plan paper weak

2006-09-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

BANGALORE: C N R Rao, scientific adviser to the Prime Minister, has criticised the Planning Commission's approach paper for the 11th Five-Year Plan, dubbing it as 'weak' and 'confusing'.

In a strongly-worded letter to deputy chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Rao said, "I find that the document as a whole is rather weak and not sufficiently focussed. I feel that few important aspects need to be highlighted... some sentences are confusing."

He took exception to the commission's view that while some institutions of higher education compare well with the best in the world, the average standard is much lower.

Rao said, "There are no institutions in India, as far as I know, which are comparable to the best of the institutions in the advanced countries."

He also highlighted stark disparities in regard to educational and R&D institutions. "Over 60% are located in just six to eight states.

The planning process needs to address these institutional disparities for their influence is so great on the distribution of employment opportunities in the country," the note states.

"It is timely and important that India invests imaginatively and largely in higher education, with research of quality. The numerical challenges are daunting. Annually, we produce around 5,000 Ph.Ds in science and about 800 Ph.Ds in engineering.

"If India has to lay claim to being a knowledge-based economic power, the number of Ph.Ds of quality by world standards should be five times the number that we are currently producing," it states.

Arjun Singh says no to Hassan IIT

2006-09-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

BANGALORE: Karnataka will have to wait for its IIT. In a major setback to state government, Union HRD minister Arjun Singh has politely rejected chief minister H D Kumaraswamy's request for an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Hassan.

In his reply to the CM, Singh said the request will be "considered at the appropriate time'' as the ministry is engaged in cost-effective options like increasing the intake in existing IITs and upgradation of promising academic institutes.

Overlooking Bangalore and NIT-K Suratkal, CM H D Kumaraswamy had made a strong pitch for establishing IIT in former PM Deve Gowda's home constituency — Hassan.

In the proposal sent to the ministry on August 11, the CM had committed himself to provide 1,000 acres of land free of cost in Hassan and also make investment to improve connectivity.

These promises, obviously, have clearly failed to impress the HRD minister.

Arjun Singh has told Kumaraswamy: "At present, cost-effective options such as increase in intake in the existing IITs an upgradation of academic institutes are being facilitated. However, depending on the availability of resources, a view on opening new IITs will be taken in the 11th Five Year Plan period and your request will also be considered then.''

In the proposal, the state government had asked the Centre to fund major part of the one-time expenditure on buildings and equipment. "Karnataka can substantially fill in the gap by mobilising resources from the private sector.

This participation would enhance academic quality as well create a stake for the private sector,'' CM had said.

Though the Planning Commission's approach paper to the 11th Five-Year Plan states that at least 20 universities could be upgraded during the period, it does not specify the number of IITs that could be set up between 2007 and 2011.

With 27 per cent OBC reservations coming into effect from next year, the Centre will be spending a whopping Rs 9326.32 crore in IITs, NITs and other central technical institutes in the country over a five-year period.

The IIT story: IIESTs, 3 new IITs on way

2006-09-28T04:47:00.000-07:00

The IIT story: IIESTs, 3 new IITs on way

Yogesh K Upadhyaya

September 28, 2006

It is well-known that the following seven engineering colleges were chosen for possible conversion to Indian Institutes of Technology / Institutes of National Importance:

Aligarh Muslim University -- Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh;
Andhra University -- College of Engineering, Visakhapatanam, Andhra Pradesh;
Banaras Hindu University -- Institute of Technology (IT-BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh;
Bengal Engineering College, Howrah, West Bengal;
Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Kochi, Kerala;
Jadavpur University's Engineering and Technology Departments, Kolkata, West Bengal; and
Osmania University -- College of Engineering and College of Technology, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
These educational institutes were shortlisted on the basis of the recommendation of the S K Joshi Committee. To narrow down the selection and to formulate a long-term policy for the establishment of national institutes, a three-member expert committee headed by Dr M Anandakrishnan was sent to the campuses of those seven colleges towards the end of last year.

Other members of the committee were Dr D V Singh and Dr Amitabha Ghosh.

The committee held wide-ranging discussions with college heads, vice chancellors of the respective universities, and officials from the concerned state governments. The committee submitted a final report and recommendations to the Union ministry of human resources development on February 13, 2006. But meetings and discussions with concerned parties continued even after that.

The MHRD meeting

The office of the Union ministry of human resources development (MHRD) invited representatives of the seven colleges and associated universities and state government officials to New Delhi to discuss IIT/INI status on September 1, 2006. During the meeting, copies of the report prepared by the three-member panel (called the Anandakrishnan Report) were distributed and the contents were discussed.

During the meeting, the MHRD representative informed all parties that the colleges would not be called 'IITs' after conversion due to the political sensitivity of the issue.

He also said that two colleges -- namely the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and the Jadavpur University (JU) -- shall not be converted because of difficulty of separating them from the parent universities and also because of the lack of availability of adjoining space for future expansion.

For the remaining five colleges, the MHRD representative stated that all of them would be given INI status.

He further clarified that the government would like to convert them to a new system of national institutes to be called IIEST (Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology), provided they meet some requirements.

The requirements to be met for conversion to IIEST are: the institutes should be fully under central government control, admission to these institutes should be through national examinations, et cetera.

The Anandakrishnan Report

The 114-page Anandakrishnan Report discusses the potential of each college to acquire IIT-like/INI status. The report analyses available infrastructure, faculty strength, admission process, type of governance, research output, etc. for each one of them.

The report states that India needs different types of engineers and different types of colleges that can advance the frontiers of science and engineering. It also feels the need for setting up institutes, which are a blend of the IITs and the IISc (Indian Institute of Science.

The Anandakrishnan Report notes that 90 per cent of the over 1,300 engineering colleges in India offer only basic engineering degrees and that the nation needs more colleges providing masters and doctorate level degrees. The report states that such colleges should be provided adequate funding for the next five-years to lift them up to the level of IITs.

It recommends that such colleges should be fully funded by the central government, which will also control them. The colleges will admit students through national level exams. The colleges will not have any 4-year B. Tech level programmes.

The expert committee identified five colleges (out of seven) having the potential to become IIESTs, subject to meeting certain criteria.

The IIESTs:

The IIESTs will be established through an Act of Parliament. They will be accorded the status of the Institutes of National Importance (INI).

a) Governance:

A college must be fully separated from the parent university and the respective state government, before it can become an IIEST. It will have a governance system (dean, students' council, faculty council, etc.) similar to that of the IITs. There will also be an apex body, called the IIEST Council, to coordinate activities among all IIESTs.

b) Admission:

The college admission will be through a national level entrance examination, the exact type of examination is to be decided. It may be through IIT-JEE, AIEEE or through another common entrance examination for all colleges. The admission for post-graduate courses will be through GATE only.

c) Academic:

This is a unique concept being introduced in India. The highlights of which are:

The IIESTs will offer 5-year integrated dual degree (B.Tech-M.Tech) programmes in the field of engineering, 2-year M. Tech programmes (for students of other colleges), 5-year integrated M.Sc. programme in Applied Sciences and PhD programmes. The existing 4-year B. Tech programmes shall be discontinued in next five years.
There will be liberal scholarships available to all M.Tech/PhD students and final year of five-year dual programmes.
There will be liberal students and faculty exchange programmes with overseas universities. A substantial proportion (about 20-30%) of total students admitted to 2-year M. Tech and PhD programmes shall be international students. Foreign students will receive the same facilities and scholarships as those received by Indian students.
A student-teacher ratio (STR) of 8-to-1 shall be maintained. The faculties shall be recruited on a national basis and minimum qualification of a faculty shall be a doctorate degree. The cadre structures, salary scales and service conditions shall be similar to those at IITs. The position of lecturers shall be minimised and considered as temporary. To attract talented faculty, housing and recreation facility shall be provided at the campus. The entire student body and faculty and at least 50 per cent of the support staff will have housing facility on campus.
Establishment of two Centres of Excellence for each IIEST has been planned, based upon the area of its strength, and based on national needs. In case of AMU/JU, one Center of Excellence shall be established.

It is expected that by 2011, IIESTs as a group will produce 5,000 post-graduates, including 1,000 PhDs, each year.

d) Finance:

This is the most important aspect for any educational institution to succeed. The features of MHRD's plan for financing these institutes are (approximately):

All figures and planning for finance are for next the five years, under 11th Five-Year Plan. The funding will start from March 2007, when the formalities of establishing IIESTs are expected to be completed. The funding is projected till March 2012. After that, the annual grants may match with those of IITs.
During the next five years, each college will receive an annual grant of Rs 45-50 crore (Rs 450-500 million). This will be of great help to many colleges, which currently receive only Rs 10-20 crore (Rs 100-20 million) per year from their respective state governments. For IT-BHU, the amount will be almost the same as it receives (Rs 45 crore a year) today.
The colleges shall also receive a one-time funding (spread over five years) of Rs 250-300 crore (Rs 2.5-3 billion). This will be used to improve the infrastructure, including hostels, lecture halls, library, 50-100 Mbps Internet connectivity, workshops, laboratories, recreation facilities, etc. on the campus. AMU/JU shall receive Rs 50 crore for infrastructure improvement.
Each college shall receive a total of Rs 400-550 crore (Rs 4-5.5 billion) over the next five years, including annual grant and one-time funding. Total outlay for all the five colleges is calculated as Rs 2,400 crore (Rs 24 billion) for the duration of 11th Five-Year Plan.
In comparison, each IIT receives an average of Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) as annual grant. It also receives Rs 20 to 40 crore (Rs 200-400 million) per year as research grant.

Three more IITs proposed

The ride to IIEST is not a smooth one for the central government or for the colleges. Before converting an institute into an IIEST, the central government has to satisfy all the concerned parties. Since colleges are just small players in the overall power equation, they do not have any say in government decision.

Similarly, universities, which depend upon state and central governments for funding and support, have a very limited say in the outcome.

In case the MHRD succeeds in convincing the respective state governments to accept this proposal, other state governments can create problems in implementing it. The central government has taken this factor into account and plans to introduce more IITs.

The Moily Committee is seriously discussing a proposal for the establishment of three brand-new IITs. The locations are not disclosed yet, but Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar are in the race. Similarly, some of the IITs are planning extension centres/satellite campuses in other states, at a cost of Rs 700-800 crore (Rs 7-8 billion).

Separating a college from the control of state government appears to be a political problem. Although a state government, which has nurtured and controlled the excellent colleges for decades, may be reluctant to relinquish control at first, they understand that central government funding is essential to improve the standards of these institutes and central government is not going to fund unless a centrally administered council manages these institutes.

However, the MHRD is trying to provide incentives to the state governments so that they relinquish control of these institutes, by proposing either to set-up brand new IITs or extension centres of an existing IIT in that state. These extension centres will become full-fledged IITs later on.

For the state of Andhra Pradesh, it means that they will have an IIT if the two identified schools are converted to IIEST. For the state of West Bengal, an extension centre of IIT-Kharagpur is being planned near Kolkata, and the state of Kerala will benefit by an extension centre of IIT-Madras that is coming up at Trivandrum.

Another issue concerns admission tests for IIESTs. As per the proposal, an IIEST must take students through IIT-JEE, AIEEE or some common entrance examination. IT-BHU is already admitting students through IIT-JEE.

The Joint Admission Board of IITs (which conducts IIT-JEE) may not allow all the four remaining colleges to its admission test. In fact, with more brand-new IITs and extension centres coming up in near future, chances are slim for other colleges to join JEE. Such colleges can opt for another reputed national level exam, called AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Exam).

About 525,000 candidates appeared for this exam this year, for 20 NITs (National Institutes of Technology) and an equal number of other colleges.

However, this will create another problem: For common admission, how to compare the ranks from both the exams? How will a group of colleges (IIEST) exist with different admission criteria?

Creating an altogether new national level examination like SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) taken by college-bound students in the United States, through which all students will be selected, can solve this problem. This way, an average student will not have to appear for three separate national examinations (IIT-JEE, AIEEE and IIESTs).

The IIESTs will offer only five-year dual degree programmes. Thus, this concept will be good for our country that is destined to become an industrial and technology leader in near future. This will provide us with a steady stream of qualified scientists and technologists.

It is also good for a student seriously interested in pursuing study in technical subjects. However, if any student wants to get a simple engineering degree just to get a job, pursue management studies, become an entrepreneur, or get a higher degree abroad, he will have to pursue his education in another institute or study for an additional year.

The annual funding for each IIEST will be less than half of that received by an average IIT, and at the same time it is expected to produce more than twice the number of postgraduates and doctorates.

A case for converting existing colleges into IITs

The S K Joshi Committee which was formed to identify institutes most ready for conversion to IITs, short-listed seven colleges for converting to IIT status after careful consideration. It is really sad to note that they were subsequently found to be not suitable.

It is possible to convert five colleges into IITs with the total cost similar to setting up a brand-new (grassroots) IIT. Also, the existing experienced faculty can be utilized to provide quality education.

Take for example: the case of Bengal Engineering College. The second oldest engineering college (after University of Roorkee, now IIT Roorkee) in the country, should have been declared an IIT a long time ago, without any need to form a committee. This college provided substantial percentage of faculty to the IITs since their inceptions.

Similarly, IT-BHU is faithfully taking students for the last 35 years exclusively through IIT-JEE; and its academic programmes, curriculum and examination methodology are mirror images of those of IITs. It has 85% faculty with doctorate degree and was placed 2nd (next to IISc) in terms of research output in 2003 in a World Bank study, commissioned by the central government. Still it has been denied the entry to join the IIT system.

In the same way, other colleges also have potential to become an IIT.

In conclusion

Establishing new institutions solely for postgraduate studies in engineering, science and technology is a bold approach by the government. It will take at least a decade to build-up the brand image. If the experiment succeeds, it will take the industrial growth of our country in a new direction.

IIT sub-centre to be set up in Vithura: Kerala Online

2006-09-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

IIT sub-centre to be set up in Vithura
Thiruvananthapuram
The proposed sub-centre of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai, possibly would be set up at a 250-acre land currently in possession of the Animal Welfare Department in Vithura, in Thiruvananthapuram district.

A consensus in this regard has been reached in a discussion between the Kerala Government and the officials of the IIT, Chennai, reports said.

The sus-centre would be later developed as a full-fledged one over a period of five years.

Kerala and Pondicherry were considered for the project and Kerala was selected since large number of students from Kerala join the IIT-Chennai every year.

more on IIT demands for Karnataka

2006-09-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

Kumaraswamy wants IIT in his home district
Mumbai Mirror, India - Aug 17, 2006
Bangalore: The Karnataka government is lobbying for setting up of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Hassan, the home district of the Gowda family. ...

More IITs in the offing

2006-09-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

After Kerala, Karnataka too seeks IIT

Our Bureau / Bangalore August 16, 2006

After Kerala, it is now the turn of Karnataka to ask the Union human resources development ministry to sanction an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for the state.

"The Centre has proposed to set up six new IITs in various parts of the country. Bangalore is home to several prestigious educational and research institutes. We have written to the Centre to set up an IIT in Karnataka," chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said here after a review meeting of higher education today.

Bangalore already has several reputed national institutes like Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Statistical Institute, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, National Law School of India University, National Dairy Research Institute and Indian Institute of Information Technology.

"The city is known as a knowledge centre. For long, we have felt the need for an IIT. It is for the Union human resources development ministry to select the location. I hope the Centre will respond in a positive manner," he added.

The government has decided to upgrade all district hospitals to 1,000 bed capacity through public private partnership (PPP) programmes. "At present, many of the hospitals have varied in-patient treatment capacity. Upgrading them to the level of 1,000-bed capacity will enable the government to start medical colleges at district level," he said.

Kumaraswamy said a new medical college will be set up on Magadi Road in Bangalore with an estimated investment of Rs 100 crore in 2007. The Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), the nodal agency that monitors medical colleges in Karnataka, will have a new campus on Magadi Road spread over 73 acres of land. "The new medical college and the RGUHS will be located in the same campus," he stated.

Manipur wants an IIT

2006-09-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

DESAM for IIT for Manipur The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, Aug 30: The Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur has urged the government of India to establish one IIT and one IIM institutions in the state during the 11th five year plan.

A memorandum in this regard has been submitted to the Prime Minister by the students body which also urged the later for upgradation of RIMS to the level of AIIMS.

Disclosing about the memorandum and its details, DESAM general secretary LC Santosh told mediaperson during a press conference at its head office today that Manipur has enormous human resources and talent, but yet to tapped.

While appreciating government of India`s decision to establish 20 more IITs during the next five year plan, the DESAM leader said Manipur deserved to have one such institutions as the state do not have any institutions which are of national importance.

Establishing one such institutions in the state will definitely boost moral of the students, the DESAM leader said adding it will also draw students from other south Asian countries in pursuit of higher studies.

The students leader also observed that peace will definitely returned in the state once development go in the right path. All the burgeoning problems being faced in Manipur will surely go down in due course if development surges in the interest of the people, the DESAM leader said and maintained the matter has also been apprised to the state Governor and the chief minister.

======================

See also
http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=11..310806.aug06
and
http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=11..010906.sep06

Demand for an IIT in Hubli, Karnataka

2006-09-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

Bommai wants IIT at Hubli-Dharwad

[ 26 Aug, 2006 0022hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

BANGALORE: Even as confusion prevails over the location of IIT in Karnataka, former human resource development minister S R Bommai has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to set it up in Hubli-Dharwad.

Bommai, in his letter, to the Prime Minister has stated that during his tenure as an HRD minister in 1996, he had set up a committee headed by scientist U R Rao, which submitted a report in 1998.

The committee after a thorough investigation had and recommended that the IIT be established in Hubli-Dharwad, Bommai has said. It is the best location as it is equidistant from Goa and Maharashtra too, the committee stated.

Over 300 acres of land has already been earmarked for IIT, Bommai said.

"Now it seems your office is planning to locate the IIT near Bangalore which is already congested. It is no more the place of tranquillity which is essential for such centres. I recommend that the IIT be set up in Hubli-Dharwad."

IITs in Bihar and Orissa in the 11th plan

2006-08-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

PU may finally get Central varsity status

PATNA: The Centre has decided to open an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Bihar besides an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT).

It has also decided to accord Central university status to one of the universities in the state, preferably Patna Univeristy.

The announcements were made by Union minister of state for HRD MAA Fatmi at the inaugural ceremony of a new experiment of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) called "On Demand Examination" here on Monday.

Fatmi 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". He said that five universities were being upgraded as Central universities of which one will be from Bihar. "The process for the upgrade has already started," he said.

The Union junior minister further said that Institute of Science are going to be opened in Kolkata, Pune and Punjab. In Kolkata, the foundation has already been laid, he added.

A bit critical of the state government, Fatmi said the Centre has allotted Rs 2400 crore under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

"Kasturba Gandhi Residential Schools for girls were sanctioned for 128 blocks of Bihar but so far only 62 have been established. A huge fund of Rs 1300 crore for construction of school buildings under SSA is lying with the state government," he said.

"The Centre is releasing funds in the name of SSA but the state government has changed the name of the scheme to Mukhyamantri Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan," he said adding they were not authorised to change the name. Similarly, funds have been provided for 4000 madarsas of Bihar under the innovative education scheme but only 400 have got the money so far, he said...

An IIT Campus in Kerala

2006-08-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

The following does not say which IIT agrees to set up a center
in Kerala. Most likely it is probably IIT Madras.
Chitta

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IIT agrees to set up centre in Kerala: CM

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 16. (PTI): The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has agreed in principle to set up a centre in Kerala with an investment of Rs 800 crore, Chief Minister V S A chuthanandan said here on Tuesday.

The centre, to come up on 200 acres of land, would give a boost to technical education in Kerala, Achuthanandan said in his Independence Day address at the central stadium here.

Stating that Kerala was in the process of improving infrastructure facilities, he said the hurdles in the implementation of the Vallarpadam International Container Terminal had been removed. Environment clearance from the Centre for road-connectivity for the project had already been obtained.

The Chief Minister said the Government has convened an all-party meeting here today to discuss the issues connected with the container terminal.

The State would continue to put pressure on the Centre for the developmnet of Azhikal Harbour and to ensure that the Kannur International Airport became a reality, he said.

Along with plans to develop infrastructure, the Government has also taken steps for the growth traditional industries like coir, handloom, fisheries and cashew, he said.

Since assuming power two months back, the LDF Government's priority has been to help farmers reeling under financial crisis and also families of farmers who had committed suicide.

The Government had already decided to waive off loans of farmers who committed suicide, he said, adding that the Centre has promised a 'Vidarbha' model package for farmers of Waynad, Palakkad and Kasargode.

On the recently-passed Kerala self-financing professional colleges bill, Achuthanandan said merit and social justice would become a reality in the higher education sector once clearance of the judiciary was obtained for the legislation.

On the Information Technology front, he said the Government proposed to generate two lakh jobs in the IT sector in the next five years. Steps had already been taken to expand the Techno Park here and the Info Park in Kochi.

Several IT companies have evinced interest in investing in Kerala and it was expected that 25,000 jobs would be available in two years in Info Park alone, he said.

The Government would protect the state's interests while providing all necessary support to IT investors, he added.

This was also an occasion for all to take a pledge to fight extremist elements and communal forces in the country, Achuthanandan said.

Earlier, Achuthanandan took the salute at an impressive parade by various organisations, including police, NCC, scouts and children from nearby schools.

The Chief Minister also presented medals to police officials on the occasion.

IIT Delhi would like another campus nearby

2006-08-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Staff shortage: IIT writes to Govt for help

Meenal Dubey

New Delhi, August 16, 2006

IIT Delhi still suffers from 25 per cent of faculty shortage. The institute’s authorities have written to the HRD ministry in this regard. The institute is hoping to rope in more teachers in forthcoming months and is devising a strategy to compensate teachers with regard to their salaries.

At present, there are 421 faculty members. Asked if IIT authorities had brought this to the notice of the government, director Surendra Prasad said: “We have written to the government and we are hopeful that it will be addressed.”

Referring to the quota decision, he said, “If seats are increased at IIT, then more faculty would be required. This is crucial and the issue of faculty compensation has to be addressed. We are also trying to contemplate how to top up the faculty’s salaries,” said Prasad. “Teachers have a good and a simple quality of life on the campus and facilities are provided to them. We can help the teachers through research grants from our side but the matter requires some debate and contemplation.”

Another immediate challenge facing IIT Delhi is updating of the existing infrastructure. “There is limited scope for growth on the campus but things have to be worked out. We are also in favour of the idea of establishing a second campus nearby,” Prasad added. “We also aim to create more room for the faculty, better equipment for research and add more classrooms and lecture halls. But this would require funds and time.”

The good news for IIT is that the institute received funds to the tune of Rs 27.5 crore for sponsored projects and Rs 11.8 crore for constancy assignments. “These funds were more compared to last year,” Prasad said. “However, research remains a top priority for us and we want to double our research output.”

IIT Bombay to set up campus in Gujarat

2006-07-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1813975.cms

AHMEDABAD: After housing prestigious institutes like IIM, NID and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFD), Gujarat is all set to get a satellite campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (Powai) Bombay.

The IIT delegation, headed by its Director Ashok Misra, met state officials last week to finalise the setting up of the campus, state officials said on Wednesday. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was also present at the meeting.

The move would boost research in engineering and industries will get quality manpower for direct recruitment from the campus.

According to state Science and Technology secretary, Raj Kumar, IIT Powai has asked for 300 acres of land to start the satellite campus.

"The state government is in the process of identifying this big piece of land around Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar for setting up of the institute," he went on to say.

The Gujarat government will provide the land and infrastructure, while the union HRD ministry is expected to provide construction funding, the officials revealed.

The expansion plans of IIT Powai are part of the HRD Ministry's directive to set up one such institute in every state, they said.

The campus will start functioning by July next year, housed initially either in the L D Engineering College or R C Technical Institute, till the new campus comes up by 2007.

TOI: Karnataka wants NIT Surathkal to become an IIT.

2006-07-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

BANGALORE: Here’s some good news for engineering aspirants in Karnataka. The Prime Minister’s scientific advisor C N R Rao is batting for an IIT in the state.

The Scientific Advisory Council to the PM (SACPM), which has over 30 eminent scientists from all over the country, has recommended setting up of three IITs including one in Karnataka. The state’s pending demand for an IIT is finally being pushed forward by the eminent scientist from Karnataka.

“Though there are a number of engineering and technical institutes, there is just one IIT in South India. We need more premier institutes here,’’ said Rao, who also heads the standing council of IITs.

The SAC-PM’s recommendations come at a time when anti-quota activists were silenced with the Centre promising them more IITs and IIMs.

The Karnataka government has already submitted a proposal to the HRD ministry expressing its interest to house an IIT. If accepted, the existing National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Suratkal would be upgraded to an IIT.

“We’ve been pushing for an IIT for years. Since Bangalore has an Indian Institute of Management, the Centre is hesitant to sanction another institute of national importance,’’ said D H Shankaramurthy, higher education minister.

With the scientific adviser himself recommending it, the minister hoped the Centre would respond positively. Shankaramurthy will meet Rao to extend all possible support from the state for establishing an IIT.

Two high-powered committees under M Anandakrishnan and S K Joshi have recommended granting IIT status to seven institutes in the country, including two in the South. The institutes are AMU’s Engineering College and Jadavpur Engineering College, Cochin Engineering College, Bengal Engineering College in Shivpur, Osmania Engineering College, University College of Engineering , Hyderabad, and Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University.

To promote science education, two more Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) would be set up, apart from the ones at Kolkata, Pune and Mohali.

“The fourth institute will be set up in Kerala as the state doesn’t have a central university. Another would be in central India,’’ said Rao.

Various news items on IIT Kharagpur, Bhubaneswar Campus

2006-07-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Sambada (in Oriya)
Dharitri (in Oriya)
Pragativadi (in Oriya)
Samaja [1],[2] (in Oriya)
Sun Times
NewIndiaPress
Pioneer

The gist of the articles, as translated from the Pragativadi article, is as follows:

IIT Kharagpur will open a campus in Bhubaneswar. Like Kharagpur 5000 students will study there. Life Science, Mining and other new disciplines will be taught in this campus. Today IIT KGP director Prof. S. K. Dube met chief minister Naveen Patnaik and discussed on this topic. During the meeting it was decided that the state government will give necessary land and other facilities. In this regard IIT Kharagpur will create a project report within one month. This report will describe the detailed plan and explain the necessity. Orissa government will identify the land after getting this report. To improve the educational programs at various Engineering colleges in Orissa, an R & D center will also be established in Orissa. This campus of IIT Kharagpur will be on 250 acres of land and 800 crores will be spent on this. For this the government will provide all help to IIT Kharagpur. In the meeting the chief minister described the rapid industrialization of the state and opined that IIT Kharagpur will help in the human resource developement of the state.

==============================================

The Sun Times article is as follows:

IIT-Kharagpur- to open campus in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: IIT, Kharagpur, will open its campus here to provide quality education to nearly 5,000 students in bio-science, metallurgy, mining and other subjects.

IIT-Kharagpur, director S K Dube on Saturday met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and apprised him about the proposal to set up the campus. The project report of the campus, he said, would be ready within a month.
Dube said the campus here will have the same strength as that of in West Bengal and would have Research Development Centre which would help in faculty upgradation to enhance the standard of engineering colleges in Odisha.

Official sources said IIT-Kharagpur had approached the Union Human Resource Development Ministry to have its two campuses in the country, one each at Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. The proposal also received the nod of the HRD Ministry.

Patnaik while welcoming the IIT campus in Bhubaneswar, said such a project would help in human resource development activities keeping in tandem with the industrial growth here.

He has directed the authority concerned to identify 300 acres of land required for the campus on the outskirt of the capital city within a 30 km radius.

IIT Kharagpur, Bhubaneswar Campus

2006-07-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

We, Santosh K. Tripathy & myself, are just coming from a meeting at the IIT KGP - Bhubaneswar campus, the new name for the IIT extension centre at Bhubaneswar as announced by the IIT Kharagpur Director Prof. S.K.Dubey in the meeting. The Director had a meeting with the Chief Minister Mr. Navin Pattnaik just prior to the meeting at the campus today evening. He has discussed in detail about the extension plans for Bhubaneswar. Though he was tight lipped about the detailed discussion, but gave hints about introduction of new courses like the courses on 'Intellectual Property Rights', 'Interpersonal Communication', etc. in the BBSR campus. He said that the Chief Minister would very soon come out with the announcements for further extension plans on infrastructure development etc. of the BBSR campus. This is certainly a piece of good news though Agamee Odisha should continue to press the issue further till the Government comes out with a concrete plan.

Cheers

Supriti Mishra

Agamee Odisha

Discussion on IIT branch in Bhubaneswar today reports Dharitri

2006-07-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

Today Dharitri reports about discussion of IIT Kgp branch in Bhubaneswar. Its looks very much positive. Thanks.

http://www.dharitri.com/220706/story3.asp

IIT Mumbai campus in Ahmedabad

2006-07-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

COURSES TO START BY JULY 2007, DEDICATED CAMPUS BY SEPT 2008

IIT’s happening at last: satellite campus in offing

Express News Service

Gandhinagar, July 21: GUESS what’s coming to town next July? Ahmedabad’s very own Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). With this, the city, which already houses premier educational institutes IIM and NID, also gets a renowned engineering institute.

The land for the proposed institute will be allocated by September, and construction completed in two years. Till the time a new building complex is constructed, the IIT would function either from LD Engineering College or RC Polytechnic in Ahmedabad.

The initiative for this was taken by Chief Minister Narendra Modi himself last year, as part of his project to develop a knowledge corridor in Gujarat. Talks were held between an IIT delegation led by IIT-Powai Director Ashok Misra and Modi here at Gandhinagar in connection with the project that envisages a satellite campus of the prestigious technology institution, at the Secretariat on Friday.

The three-member team also interacted with Chief Secretary Sudhir Mankad and senior education, science and technology department officials.

Coming out of the meeting, an elated Misra and his deputy, Professor Dipan K Ghosh, said they were hopeful of starting a ‘‘satellite campus’’ of IIT-Powai in Gujarat by next July. “We are excited by the interest shown. The Chief Minister is as keen as us on the project,” the duo said.

Though a satellite campus, IIT-Powai’s Gujarat extension would be a full-fledged institute with an emphasis on courses specific to the development of the State.

“Today marks a turning point for IITs as the Gujarat campus would be much larger to be called an extension. It’s going to be another IIT in size,” informed a team member. The team has already zeroed in on a couple of spots in Ahmedabad, and has sought 300 acres for the project.

“We are looking at courses like textile engineering, marine and ship building, aeronautical engineering among others that can complement Gujarat’s strengths, and at the same time add to IIT’s profile. At some stage in the future — may be five to seven years — I see the Gujarat campus having 4,000-4,500 students, the same that we have at Powai,” said Misra.

Principal Secretary (Education) P Paneervel, who was present during the interaction along with Commissioner (Higher Education) Rajiv Gupta, and Secretary (science and technology) Raj Kumar, informed Indian Express that the Government had put the project on fast track and a decision on land was to be taken by September.

“Things are moving fast and we are hopeful of making a provision for the demanded land in Ahmedabad. As construction would take about two years from September, a temporary campus would start functioning from either LD Engineering campus or RC Polytechnic. We are working on this,” Paneervel said.

As land availability has saturated on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar corridor, the likely spot for the Gujarat-IIT is to be around Bavla, Sanand, or towards Nadiad. The Government is looking for land situated not more than ‘‘30 minutes’’ from Ahmedabad airport. The Gujarat Government would incur the costs of land and other infrastructure, while the Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development would chip in with building funds. Possibility of corporate funding for specific building blocks is also being explored.

* Focus on Gujarat with courses like textile, aeronautical engg, marine, ship building
* 300 acres needed, ‘30 minutes’ from airport
* To function temporarily from LD Engg College or RC Polytechnic
* Aims to house over 4,000 students

An open letter to the Orissa Chief minister

2006-07-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

An Open letter to the planning commission

2006-07-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

From: Chitta Baral

Mailed-By: gmail.com

To: abhijit.sen@yojana.nic.in, anwarul.hoda@yojana.nic.in, b.mungekar@yojana.nic.in, dch@yojana.nic.in, kirit.parikh@yojana.nic.in, mvraja@yojana.nic.in, s.hameed@yojana.nic.in, vl.chopra@yojana.nic.in, yugandhar.bn@nic.in

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Date: Jul 17, 2006 9:03 AM

Subject: Open letter to the Planning Commission: Correcting regional imbalances -- we hope it is put into action immediately

To: The Planning Commission
India

Dear Planning commission:

I read in http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1746265,000600010003.htm
that your approach paper for the 11th plan will stress on bridging regional
imbalances among other things.

We in Orissa really appreciate that.

However, based on the government's actions regarding the locations
of the National Institute of Sciences/Indian Inst of Science Education and Research,
and your approval of it (http://iiser.blogspot.com), and all the special HRD allocations
in the 2006-07 budget to UPA ruled and allied states we are not sure if
your thoughts regarding bridging regional imbalances
(as reflected in the approach paper) and you actions will indeed
match, or even correlate, in the future, starting now.

It is rumored that in a few weeks formal announcements regarding institutes that
will be upgraded to IIT-cousins will be made. That announcement will be
a test of your and the government's sincerity in actually
"bridging regional imbalance" or just saying it and doing exactly the
opposite. You may recall that your 2006-07 HRD higher education
budget exactly did the opposite. Please see http://www.equitableindia.org
on the data.

Just to remind you, the five institutions that have been often mentioned for upgradation
to IIT cousin status are:

Bengal Engg College, WestBengal (ruled by an UPA ally)

Andhra Univ College of Engg, AP (ruled by Congress, the UPA lead)

Osmania University College of Engg, AP (ruled by Congress, the UPA lead)

CUAST, Kerala (ruled by an UPA ally)

Inst of Tech, BHU (ruled by an UPA ally)

These are fine institutions, except that there are other institutions (many NITs)
that are better than four of these institutions and many are in states without IITs and many
of these states and their representatives have begged you for such upgradation.

So if *only* the above institutions are upgraded and are given
budgets higher than NITs that are better than them and that are in states
(such as Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan) that are at the receiving
end of the regional imbalance, then we and all of India
will know the bridge between your approach papers and the government's decisions,
and whether that needs to be bridged first, before you write all those
approach papers. (I am sorry to be sarcastic, but the esteemed planning
commission has lost all its credibility with me and many people of Orissa because
your recent actions that I mentioned above. You know, India is just not
UPA ruled or allied states and Punjab. There is a rest of India.) We look forward to this test
and sincerely hope the redemption of the planning comission in the eyes
of people of Orissa.

In particular, we sincerely hope that the government will actually do the bridging of regional
imbalance starting right now (and the planning commission will insist on it) and include in your list of institutes to be upgraded to IIT-cousins, some of the better NITs and/or other
fine institutions that are in states without IITs.

sincerely,
Chitta Baral

Business standard: IIT Kharagpur plans for a third campus (does not mention where)

2006-07-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

This article does not mention where the third campus will be.

Chitta
=============

IIT Kharagpur plans third campus

Arnab Mallick / Kolkata July 14, 2006

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) is in an expansion mode.

The oldest among all the IITs is firming up plans for setting up its third campus while the foundation stone laying for the second was being planned.

The third campus would be the second outside Kharagpur, the first being Rajarhat.

The expansion plans will mitigate the negative impact of the proposed quota on general candidates for other backward classes (OBC) in 20 central universities, the IITs and IIMs.

As of now, apart from the existing quota of 22.5 per cent for schedule caste and schedule tribe, this additional 27 per cent OBC quota will leave only 50.5 per cent for general candidates, if other quota are neglected.

Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of the board of governors, IIT-KGP hinted that the third campus could be as big as the one coming up in Rajarhat.

"We will be setting up another campus after Rajarhat. The details of the campus will be finalised shortly," he added.

Goenka noted that IIT-KGP would be focusing on few major strategies namely, infrastructure building, research and development (R&D), expansion of IIT-KGP campus outside Kharagpur and capacity expansion. In line with the focus plan, IIT-KGP's first campus outside Kharagpur would be set up in Rajarhat. "The total cost of setting up the campus will be Rs 250 crore. Foundation stone of the new campus, spread over 10 acres, would be laid before September 2006. Classes in the new campus were likely to commence from 2008-09," said Goenka. IIT-KGP had already received the first tranche of fund of Rs 25 crore from the ministry of human resources and development.Sisir K Dube, director, IIT-KGP said, "To begin with, the student intake would be 600 but would be later scaled to 2,500 students.

Meanwhile, the IIT-KGP student strength was likely to double over the next four years.

"IIT-KGP has already increased students intake by 34 per cent which implied 625 extra students this year. The current student strength is 7,000 as compared to last year's figure of 5,600. We will be doubling the student strength within the next four years," Goenka said.

This decision was though taken before the recent announcement related to introduction 27 per cent reservation for OBC, confirmed sources in IIT-KGP.

Referring to R&D projects at IIT-KGP, Goenka informed that the institute had received 171 research projects and 152 consultancy project worth Rs 52 crore last year.

Dube said, "IIT-KGP was currently undertaking research and consultancy projects around Rs 300 crore. In the last three years, IIT-KGP had bagged projects worth more than Rs 200 crore."

The target for the current year was significantly higher that last year's performance of Rs 52 crore, Goenka added.

Hindu: IIT Kharagpurs plan on two new campuses

2006-07-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

New facility planned at IIT Kharagpur

Staff Reporter

Electronic material research lab to be set up there soon

# Student intake to be doubled by 2010
# Institute has obtained 25 patents and copyrights, including two U.S. patents

KHARAGPUR: A new research facility, to be called Arun Sarin Electronic Material Research Laboratory, is to be set up at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, for facilitating teaching and research in the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering.

This was announced by Arun Sarin, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group Plc, U.K., who promised to contribute $5,00,000 for the purpose. A sum of $2,50,000 had been already donated, while the remaining amount would be given in phases.

Convocation

Mr. Sarin was speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of the 52nd Annual Convocation at the Indian Institute of Technology where he was the Chief Guest.

Prof. Shishir Kumar Dube, Director, IIT Kharagpur, said that the intake of students would be doubled by 2010. The academic year 2006-07 would see the institute increasing its intake by 34 per cent to meet this target.

Currently, the institute has about 5,600 students on its roll.

Two new campuses

Mr. Dube said that two new campuses of IIT Kharagpur would be set up in Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar. Recently, a 10-acre land had been acquired at Rajarhat, Kolkata, for the purpose.

The Director said that the institute had received sponsored and consultancy projects worth Rs. 52 crore from Government and private institutions. The institute also obtained 25 patents and copyrights, including two U.S. patents.

IIT Bombay planning to set up satellite campus at Goa (May 2006 news)

2006-07-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

IIT Bombay planning to set up satellite campus at Goa
Panaji,

May 16: The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay is planning to set
up its first satellite campus in India at Goa Engineering College
(GEC), Farmagudi, about 30 km from here, said State Director of
Technical Education, J Chandrasekhar.

"The Goa government will review its Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with IIT-Bombay to set up the IIT's satellite campus in Goa,"
Chandrasekhar told PTI.

"The MoU between Goa government and IIT-Bombay was signed five years
back which spoke of satellite campus which, however, did not
materialise," he said.

The State Technical Education chief said the IIT can also think
about adopting GEC.

"IIT-B can even think of adopting the GEC and if decision is taken
adoption will happen within a year," he said.

Both institutions will exchange its faculties which will enhance
GEC's standard of education, Chandrasekhar said adding, "during last
five years of association with IIT, there is large scale upgradation
of GEC campus."

IIT Chennai satellite campus in Trichy (old news from Hindu)

2006-07-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

IIT-Madras plans satellite campus in Tiruchi

Special Correspondent

To offer humanities courses

# The Institute is facing space constraint, says Director # Offer
for land from BHEL Tiruchi # IIT-M talking to HRD Ministry on the
proposal to set up satellite campuses

CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) may soon
have a satellite campus at Tiruchirapalli. The world-renowned
technology education provider also proposes to offer five-year
integrated courses in humanities from 2006.

M.S. Ananth, Director, IIT-M, told newspersons here on Wednesday
that despite the growing demand for expanding the IIT model of
high-class technical education, the Institute was constrained by
space. Since 1994, IIT-M had doubled its intake from about 275 to
550.

"The reality is we are situated in the middle of forestland and we
have to maintain our numbers. The constraint we have is that the
number of people here cannot cross 5,200, because we are a
residential campus. Any addition of students or teachers will
threaten the deer population here. At present, even when new courses
are introduced, the total intake remains the same," he said.

That is the reason why the IIT is talking to the Union Ministry of
Human Resources Development on the proposal to set up satellite
campuses. "We already have an offer for land from BHEL Tiruchi," he
said, indicating that the negotiations with the Ministry would
include this proposal.

In this regard, the S.K. Joshi committee had spoken about the need
for IITs to create more capacity or intake to meet the demand for
high quality technical education.

M.A. in humanities

Prof. Ananth said the Institute (which till now has been offering
only engineering, technology, pure sciences and management
programmes) was also looking to move into the area of humanities.

Recently, the HRD Ministry had called for a meeting to discuss ways
of strengthening humanities subjects, following which the IIT was
taking steps towards starting five-year integrated M.A courses.

"We are preparing the content, and the courses would start in 2006."

In effect, students with an interest in humanities would also be
able to enter the IITs. Initially, three programmes would be offered
in English, Economics and Development Studies. Students would get a
B.A and an M.A in the integrated programme. Admission would be
through a separate entrance test.

As part of its continuing innovation, the IIT-M was offering an M.
Tech programme in engineering design, with specialisation in
automotive design. Usha Titus, Registrar, said it was an
industry-driven programme. One semester was dedicated to industry
experience.

The participating industries would soon submit a report the IIT-M's
Senate on how they proposed to go forward with the programme and use
the students' expertise.

IIT Mumbai plans campuses in Goa, Pune and has invitation from Ahmedabad

2006-07-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

After IIM, Ahmedabad now eyes IIT

MANSI BHATT

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, JULY 01, 2006 12:00:12 AM] AHMEDABAD:
You read it right. The home to India’s best-known management school
(IIM-Ahmedabad) is warming up to house an Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT).

The Gujarat government has already written to IIT-Bombay to consider
setting up a ‘satellite’ centre in either Ahmedabad or in the
Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar knowledge corridor.

If the Gujarat government manages to clinch the deal, Ahmedabad will
be the first city in the country to have both an IIM and an IIT.
IIT-Bombay’s director, Ashok Misra confirmed having received a
request from the Gujarat government.

“We are considering the proposal. We need to see what benefits the
state has to offer,” he told ET. The institute has already firmed up
plans for a satellite centre in Goa. There is a plan to set up a new
campus in Mumbai and another satellite centre in Pune, he added.

If the Gujarat government manages to clinch the deal, Ahmedabad will
be the first city in the country to have both an IIM and an IIT.

At the new campuses, the institute will offer the same courses it
offers at its Powai campus. The student intake will also be on par.
But the total intake by IIT-Bombay will go up. Sources in the state
capital, Gandhinagar, said that the government’s education
department wrote to IIT-B in April this year.

The institute was urged to set up a campus in the state. The
institute showed willingness, but has asked for certain relief in
land costs, among other benefits. Misra will meet state government
officials during his visit to Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar next month. He
will be here to kick-off the Gujarat chapter of PanIIT India, a
global body of IITians.

If the institute agrees, it will come as a shot in the arm for the
Modi government’s plans of building Gujarat into a technology hub.
The current government believes IT will be the next growth driver
for the state which is India’s second most industrialised state.
Thousands of IITians already work in its myriad factories.

The expansion plans of the IITs — seven in all — contrary to the
IIMs, has the backing of the Union HRD ministry. The HRD ministry’s
proposal to implement reservation for other backward classes (OBCs)
in higher education has been used by IIT-Bombay to roll out its
expansion plans quickly.

The institute has around 500 acres of land in the Powai campus, but
there is little room for expansion.

At the same time, land prices in Ahmedabad, already known for
top-class institutes of premier education like IIM, National
Institute of Design (NID), National Institute of Fashion Technology
(NIFT), Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Centre for
Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) and Physical Research Lab
(PRL), is among the lowest among many tier-II cities.

Statesman: IIT Kharagpur unveils perspective plan (two campuses, one in BBSR, will be coming up soon)

2006-07-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

We need to keep an eye on how the Bhubaneswar campus progresses. There should be a clear road map of this campus becoming a full-fledged IIT in 10-15 years, after which it should no longer be a branch campus of IIT KGIP, but a stand alone IIT Bhubaneswar.

Chitta

=========================================

IIT Kharagpur unveils perspective plan

Statesman News Service

KHARAGPUR, July 15. — The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur released a ‘perspective plan’ today to double the number of students by 2010 through increasing its student intake by 34 per cent. The institute will also introduce new programmes such as 21 dual degree courses, M Tech in Media and Sound Engineering and Bachelor of Law with specialisation in Intellectual Property Rights.

It was announced at the 52nd Convocation of IIT, Kharagpur today that two new campuses of the institute ~ one in Kolkata and the other in Bhubaneswar, will be coming up soon. For the Rajarhat campus, a 10-acre plot of land has been acquired at New Town. This campus will be developed with the objective of promoting advanced research and development activities, post graduate and under graduate programmes, laboratories for training and research and as an industry hub for attracting high technology. The chief guest at the ceremony, Mr Arun Sarin, CEO, Vodafone Group Plc UK donated a sum of $ 2.5 lakhs to the institute.
Mr Shishir Kumar Dube, director of the institute, conferred degrees on 1370 outgoing students. The institute also conferred the Life Fellow of IIT-Kharagpur Award on Prof GS Sanyal, former director of the institute. The Distinguished Alumnus Award was given to Mr Arun Sarin, CEO, Vodafone Group Plc UK along with four others.

The gold medal awardees were Mr Sambaditya Saha from the department of Biotechnology, Mr Seth Siddhartha Sunil Kumar, Mr Paonam Santosh Kumar Singh and Mr S Narayanan from the department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Mr Sayantan Sharma from the department of Physics and Meteorology and Mr Amit Ray from the department of Naval Architecture.

Mr Sarin adding a few words of encouragement to the students, said: “One has to keep marching towards the future with the changing situations and follow certain rules in order to succeed in life.”

IIT Kharagpur to set up new campus at New Town

2006-07-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

======================================================
IIT Kharagpur to set up new campus at New Town

PTI[ THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2006 09:40:28 PM]

KOLKATA: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, would
develop a new campus at New Town in Rajarhat here at a cost of Rs
250 crore and would have hostel facilities for 2500 regular
students.

Announcing this here on Thursday, IIT Kharagpur's board of Governors
Chairman Sanjiv Goenka said the institute has already received the
first installment of Rs 25 crore from the Union government for
beginning the construction work at the 10 acre plot.

The new campus, which is to have 2000 additional capacity for
accommodating trainees for short term assignments, would promote
incubation programs, advanced R&D activities, post graduate and
undergraduate education in specialised areas, Goenka said.

There would also be an industrial hub at the campus, providing
opportunities for attracting high technology. He said that the
capacity at the Kharagur campus has already been increased by 652
seats this year.

"IIT Kharagpur has prepared perspective plans for an undergraduate
lab complex, a hall for girl students, an auditorium for 800 persons
and a 2000-seating modern convention centre," Goenka said.

At the 52nd convocation of IIT Kharagpur on July 15, which would be
addressed by Union Human Resources Development minister Arjun Singh,
degrees would be conferred on 1370 students, including 84 PhD, 11 MS
and 452 M Tech, he added.

For IIT upgrade, an alternative roadmap: Indian Express

2006-07-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

For IIT upgrade, an alternative roadmap

Chitta Baral Posted online: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 at 0000 hrs Print Email

The Prime minister has established a Knowledge Commission and it has a website listing its members and their e-mail addresses. If one looks hard, one can also find who the members of SAC-PM are, and write to them. But does anyone know who is in charge of plans to upgrade some existing institutes to IITs? How does one gets in touch with them and point out the possible mistakes and make suggestions? Why are they doing things like the old days? Why the secrecy? Why the arrogance?

Can they explain why the seven institutes chosen initially to be upgraded to deemed IITs, IIT-likes, IIT-cousins—or whatever they are being called now— significantly add to the already terrible regional imbalance with respect to institutions of higher educations?

The answer is probably that they wanted to reward the best institutions in the country, regardless of where they are from. That is a fair answer. And I would accept it if it were true. Unfortunately, it is not. When the shortlist of seven were made, National Institute of Technologies (NITs)) were not considered.

So, if the idea was to pick the best institutes and upgrade them to deemed IITs, what is the logic of not considering the NITs?

The Dataquest ranking of 2005 shows that six of the handpicked seven are worse than many of the NITs.

I understand the Dataquest ranking is just another ranking, but it is clear that NITs were not considered when deciding on which institutions will be upgraded.

Apparently, the reason cited is that NITs are already Centrally funded.

But then, how fair is it that institutions inferior to NITs will now be given IIT-cousin status and possibly more funding and attention than NITs?

Moreover, there is actually one institution in India that really deserves IIT status—not that of its distant cousin. This is the IT-BHU, which has been taking students from IIT-JEE for over 25 years and ranks above a couple of existing IITs in many areas.

Perhaps someone feels that according IT-BHU a full IIT status will raise eyebrows across the country, as there will be two IITs in Uttar Pradesh. (N.B. This writer is not an IT-BHU alumni and has no connections with IT-BHU).

Since the panel formed by the Human Resources Development Ministry does not appear able to make the right decisions (based on whatever is reported in the media) here are some suggestions for a regionally-balanced way out of this imbroglio.

• Upgrade IT-BHU to an IIT immediately. Alongwith the planned additional 27 per cent OBC quota, this action will provide immediate relief.

• Since it is probably too late to remove some of the institutes for deemed IIT status from the shortlist—and some of those are fine institutions—add 5-7 top NITs to the list. In the states from where these NITs are picked, upgrade another institution to be NIT-level. In the next 10 years, upgrade the rest of the existing NITs to deemed IIT status. Thus in 10 years, every major state will have an NIT and an IIT-cousin.

• The new IITs should be built with care so as not to dilute the IIT brandname. That means they should not be made overnight. In this regard, the HRD panel is mostly right about giving the IIT-cousin status (and not IIT-status) to the institutes that are being upgraded. The government should decide on 5-7 new IITs in states that are at the bottom of the HRD higher education funding computed per capita. As of now, Bihar, Rajasthan and Orissa are at the bottom of that list. A mini-IIT with 1-2 departments and with only MTech programmes should be established in these states in two years’ time. Initially, these mini-IITs could be referred to as branch campus of an existing IIT. There should be a mandate and funding to make these mini-IITs to full-fledged IITs in 10-15 years by adding undergraduate programmes after 4-5 years and new departments every 1-2 years. In this regard a pilot programme can be immediately started at Bhubaneswar—where IIT Kharagpur has an extension center, where it already offers a PG Diploma in Information Technology and a 1.5-year part-time Diploma in intellectual property law.

These steps will not only correct the unfairness of the current proposal, but if taken, will address the regional balance in the distribution of higher education institution in a better way. Also, there will be more IITs without any dilution of the brandname or the associated quality.

The writer is a professor at the Arizona State University and is an alumni of IIT Kharagpur

==================================================

More permanent links:

http://chitta.googlepages.com/iit-ind-exp-op-ed-july-11.pdf
http://chitta.googlepages.com/iit-ind-exp-op-ed-page-july11.pdf
http://chitta.googlepages.com/iit-ind-exp-op-ed-web-july11.pdf

==================================================

A fair, balanced, merit oriented and sensible plan for new IITs and IIT cousins (IIEST)

2006-06-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Since the idea of establishing a few more IITs was proposed
few years back, several institutions were evaluated and 7 were shortlisted.
However the evaluation process excluded the NITs, several of which
are better ranked (see http://us.rediff.com/money/2005/jun/28spec.htm ) than 6 of the 7 initially shortlisted. Now a news report
(see http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1705428,0035.htm ) says that the shortlist is further reduced to 5 and the plan is to make them IIEST (Indian Inst of Engg Sc and Tech) instead of IITs.

Following are my suggestions:

(i) IT BHU should be upgraded to an IIT, as it is already ranked
higher than two of the IITs and it is better than all the NITs.
However this will further skew the distribution of national
institutes across India (see
http://orissalinks.googlepages.com/hrd-nh.pdf ). It can and should be taken care of by implementing the suggestions below.

(ii) IIEST: 5-1 = 4 of the shortlisted institutes (Bengal engg
coll, Jadavpur, CUSAT, Osmania, Andhra) are ranked lower than many
NITs. (see http://us.rediff.com/money/2005/jun/28spec.htm ) Hence
it does not make sense for these schools to have a higher standing
and funding than NITs. It is also unfair to the NITs. Thus besides
the 5-1 = 4 shortlisted institutes to be made IIEST, 5-6 NITs that
are as good or better than these 4 shortlisted institutes should
also be made into IIESTs. Over the years efforts should be made to
have an IIEST in every state through upgrading. Also, when an NIT is
upgraded to an IIEST in a state, another engineering college in that
state should be upgraded to an NIT. Thus in 10 years every major
state (for example all states that have an NIT now) should have an
NIT and an IIEST.

(iii) new IITs: There will still be a need for the top branded IITs.
However, to protect the brand name, new IITs should be made with
utmost care. But the issue of finding top faculty as well as the
issue of funding remains. To counter that, as well as for regional
balance the following strategy should be used.

Mini-IITs should be established in five to six states (such as
Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan) that are way behind (see
http://orissalinks.googlepages.com/hrd-nh.pdf ) in terms of
national level institutes like IITs and IIMs, with a plan to make
them into a full-fledged IIT in 10 years. Each of these mini-IITs
would have a mentor from among the existing IITs whose mandate would
be to make the new IIT. For example, IIT Kharagpur has an extension
center ( http://www.iitkgp.ernet.in/institute/extension.php ) in
Bhubaneswar (in Orissa which does not have an IIT or IIM) that
currently offers PGDIT ( http://gate.iitkgp.ac.in/pgdit/ ) This
can be declared as a mini-IIT and IIT Kharagpur can be given
responsibility to turn it into a full-fledged IIT in 10 years. They
can start with graduate programs, and add one department every year,
introduce undergraduate programs in 3-4 years, and so on, until it
becomes a full-fledged IIT in 10 years.

Chitta Baral
Professor, Arizona State University

A letter to SAC-PM, Knowledge commission and planning commission of India

2006-05-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

From: Chitta Baral

Mailed-By: gmail.com

To: chairman@icssr.org, jayati@mail.jnu.ac.in, president_cpr@vsnl.com, sam.pitroda@c-sam.com, vcdu@del3.vsnl.net.in, abhijit.sen@yojana.nic.in, anwarul.hoda@yojana.nic.in, b.mungekar@yojana.nic.in, dch@yojana.nic.in, kirit.parikh@yojana.nic.in, manmohan@sansad.nic.in, mvraja@yojana.nic.in, s.hameed@yojana.nic.in, vl.chopra@yojana.nic.in, yugandhar.bn@nic.in, ashok@tenet.res.in, bikash@meghdoot.saha.ernet.in, bikash@veccal.ernet.in, chairman@isro.org, chairman@tifac.org.in, chmn@dae.gov.in, cnrrao@jncasr.ac.in, dgcsir@csir.res.in, dir@igcar.ernet.in, director@cdfd.org.in, director@iitk.ac.in, diroff@admin.iisc.ernet.in, dmg@igcar.ernet.in, dodsec@dod.delhi.nic.in, dstsec@nic.in, easiddiq@rediffmail.com, gangulynk@icmr.delhi.nic.in, gangulynk@icmr.org.in, gm@orgchem.iisc.ernet.in, kkarnik@nasscom.org, Milind@nic.in, mkbhan@dbt.nic.in, mmsharma@bom3.vsnl.net.in, mrai@icar.delhi.nic.in, natarajan_drdo@hotmail.com, pallerama_rao@yahoo.co.in, pb@mbu.iisc.ernet.in, rc@magnum.barc.ernet.in, rchandra@nic.in, roddam@caos.iisc.ernet.in, sapiramal@nicholaspiramal.co.in, sgd@iitk.ac.in, skkaura@samtelgroup.com, tvrama@bhu.ac.in, tvrama@physics.iisc.ernet.in, vc@uohyd.ernet.in, vsumantran@gmail.com, "K. VijayRaghavan"

Cc: cmo@ori.nic.in, csori@ori.nic.in, subas@nic.in, director@nitrkl.ac.in

Date: May 27, 2006 7:42 AM

Subject: Correcting flaws in the list of proposed Indian Institute of Engineering Sc and Technology -- combining quality with regional balance please

Dear Esteemed Planning commission, Knowledge commission and SAC-PM members:

Recently there has been thoughts about establishing several
IIEST (Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technologies) as IIT couisins.

The article at http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1705428,0035.htm
mentions that the five institute that were chosen were

1. Bengal Engineering and Science University,
2. Institute of Technology, Beneras Hindu University,
3. Cochin University of Science and Technology,
4. Andhra University, College of Engineering and
5. Osmania University College of Engineering and University College of Technology.

The article says that these institutes were chosen based on recommendations of a
Professor M. Anandakrishnan committee. I applaud that this time there was
a formal evaluation on merit and quality to decide which institutes were
to be upgraded. However there are some big omissions.

(a) The committee did not take NITs into account during their evaluation
process. Thus if the above five institutes are promoted to IIEST and are given
more funding and prestige than the NITs then that would be unfair to the hard
workd done by the NITs.

(b) Worse, if NITs were taken into account then there could have been
more regional balance. For example, NIT Rourkela is ranked
better than 4 of the above five institutes. Please
see http://www.nsitlounge.in/NSIT_News/Latest_News/NSIT_features_in_Top_10/
Thus a proper evaluation taking into account NITs and regional balance could
have provided more opportunity to backward states like Orissa.

Considering that there is gross inequity across states in higher education
spending by the central government (please see http://equitableindia.org for the numbers)
and the central government is aiming for more equality, I sincerely
request that you influence the concerned decision makers to take a quick
and fresh look and add some of the top NITs (especially in states
without IITs) to the list of institutions to be upgraded to an IIEST . (The next best institutions
in those states can then be upgraded to NITs.)

sincerely,

Chitta Baral
Professor, Department of Computer Science & Eng.
Arizona State University

5 IIEST -- none in Orissa (see my comments at the end)

2006-05-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

HindustanTimes.com » Only in HT » Story

More IIT cousins, more seats

Chetan Chauhan

New Delhi, May 25, 2006

The government is thinking of ways to increase seats to offset the OBC quota and here’s one. The HRD ministry plans to introduce parallel IITs, called the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST).

Ministry sources said the government has identified five institutes for branding them as IIESTs.

They are, the Bengal Engineering and Science University, Institute of Technology, Beneras Hindu University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Andhra University, College of Engineering and Osmania University College of Engineering and University College of Techonology.

These state institutes will be given the grade of ‘institutes of national importance’ and brought under the ambit of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

“They will offer a mix of science and technology education with emphasis on research,” an official explained.

To be run on the lines of the IITs, the IIESTs will be constituted as institutes of national importance through an Act of Parliament. Like IITs, the admission to new institutes will be on all an India basis and probably through a joint entrance examination.

These institutes, sources say, are in line with the Centre’s reservation policy. “With these institutes, the total engineering seats for central engineering institutes will go up. It will help off-set the impact of the OBC quota on general students,” a government official said.

The decision to grant these institutes the was based on recommendations of the Professor M. Anandakrishnan committee.

=================================================

My comments:

NIT Rourkela is better than four of the above colleges and Orissa does not have any IIT. See http://www.nsitlounge.in/NSIT_News/Latest_News/NSIT_features_in_Top_10/
Why did not they consider upgrading NIT Rourkela to an IIEST? Orissa should push for upgrading NIT Rourkela to an IIEST and subsequently upgrading UCE Burla (the oldest engineering college in Orissa) to an NIT.

Chitta

Centre to create more IIT-like institutes -- Deecan Herald

2006-05-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Centre to create more IIT-like institutes

DH News Service New Delhi:

This was indicated by Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Thursday at a function here to celebrate Technology Day, which commemorates the 1998 Pokhran tests.

To meet the burgeoning demands for human resources in the global market, the Centre plans to create more world-class institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology, in the 11th plan that will begin in 2007.

This was indicated by Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Thursday at a function here to celebrate Technology Day, which commemorates the 1998 Pokhran tests.

“Many more IITs should be created to expand our capacity for creating skilled people. We are paying a lot of attention to have new IITs, in the 11th plan,” Dr Ahluwalia said, adding that the Centre would prefer to create new institutes rather than rename or upgrade the existing institutes.

He said that as many as 98 per cent of the country’s children enroll in primary schools, but typically, half of them drop out before completing the primary school programme. The same cycle of enrollments and dropouts continues in the school and at the higher secondary level.

As a result, only eight per cent out of the original 98 per cent emerges for higher education, Dr Ahluwalia said, adding that the Centre was striving to get at least 20 per cent of the country’s school-going children to pursue higher education.

Chairman of the Prime Minister’s National Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda said the commission too supports the idea of increasing the numbers of schools and colleges in the country. He added that the involvement of the private sector in education should also be increased, but this should be done without compromising on quality, as in the Chhattisgarh experience, where private educational institutes had mushroomed without caring much for quality.

Mr Pitroda expressed concern over the quality of education in most schools and colleges. Highlighting the knowledge industry’s complaint that a large number of graduates are unemployable, he said that out of 90,000 MBAs who graduate every year, only 5,000 to 10,000 are immediately employable. Investment

“The chairman of Larsen and Toubro has complained that he could not get quality electricians,” Mr Pitroda said, emphasising that more investment was required in the field of education, research and manufacturing, as in the case of China.

The Planning Commission has set up an expert group under commission member Nitin Desai, to find out if venture capital funds could be encouraged for investments in research.

The Technology Development Board, which currently gives loans to technological companies, could also play the role of a venture capitalist to carry out risk financing, Dr Ahluwalia added.

The Technology Day award was given to the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, as well as to Delhi’s Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) for developing a recombinant human growth factor. Two small-scale units in Hyderabad and Chennai also received awards.

Four new technologies, including a herbal drug on allergic rhinitis, developed by the Bangalore-based Natural Remedies, were released by Union Science Minister Kapil Sibal.