GOVERNMENT OF ORISSA

 

PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi

October 24, 2005

 

 

 

Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa today met the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Arjun Singh and requested him to expedite the establishment of the Regional Centre of Studies in Integrated Sciences at Bhubaneswar under the National Institute of Science framework. He informed that the State Government had already identified 75 acres of land at Gothapatana under Bhubaneswar Tehsil for setting up the campus and was awaiting release of funds by Government of India. The Chief Minister stated that it was learnt that Government of India has recently cleared setting up a similar institution at Kolkata and wanted that the Bhubaneswar Centre, which has been approved more than two years back, should be taken up first. In addition to this, Shri Patnaik also requested for establishment of a Central University for the KBK Region, which is one of the most backward regions in the country. He pointed out that there was a heavy concentration of the scheduled tribe and scheduled caste population in this region, which has a literacy rate below 50%. Shri Patnaik stated that setting up a Central University in the KBK region would go a long way in encouraging higher education among tribal population. He added that the university could also set up specialized centres for tribal development related studies, as tribal development was one of the biggest challenges facing the country today. Shri. Arjun Singh appreciated the rationale of having a Central University in the KBK region and sought a formal proposal in this regard from the State Government. He assured that this would receive high priority whenever the Central Government considers setting up of new central universities. On the other issue, viz., the establishment of the Regional Centre of Studies in Integrated Sciences at Bhubaneswar, Shri Arjun Singh assured that his Ministry would review the matter.

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