Nine private agencies submit EoI for IIIT in Odisha; locating it at Berhampur rests on State Govt’s honesty

STPI- Berhampur

The State Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik including several of his Ministerial colleagues have expressed their keenness for having the proposed IIIT at Berhampur on multiple occasions. This is mainly because of two reasons. First, Berhampur is still the only measure city in the state without a centrally funded higher education Institution and IIIT can fill the void. Second, other cities of the state like Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur have state funded IIITs and Rourkela has a centrally funded NIT. So, that leaves Berhampur as the only other prominent city which is the most deserving to have this Institute. As the much awaited Institution is on the verge of fruition, now is the test of sincerity of the Government led by Patnaik on whether they keep their promise for a centrally funded Institute at Berhampur or betray the people like their predecessors over the past several decades. Further, the public of Odisha, and Ganjam/Berhampur in particular can’t take the establishment of the Institute for granted. It is also the test of public activism and role of civil society in moulding public opinion and force the Government to implement its promise.

I earnestly appeal all those readers and concerned individuals who feel that the issue is worth fighting for; to voice their demand before the state government for early establishment of IIIT at Berhampur. Following are the emails of the people which you may consider writing to: cmo@ori.nic.in, cmorissa@ori.nic.in, cmo-ps@ori.nic.in, hrm@nic.in, ksibal@sansad.nic.in, kapilsibal@hotmail.com, kapil@kapilsibal.com, d.puran@nic.in, secy.dhe@nic.in, athakur.edu@nic.in, nksinha.edu@nic.in, rpsisodia.edu@nic.in,  csori@ori.nic.in ranjan.khanna@gmail.com, mdeoraoffice@gmail.com, pilotoffice@gmail.com, secretary@mit.gov.in, shankar.aggarwal@mit.gov.in, ajay@mit.gov.in, vbt@mit.gov.in, tsarkar@mit.gov.in, , dstsec@ori.nic.in, itsec@ori.nic.in

Related news from The Telegraph

The state is likely to have its own Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT). This proposed tech institute is among 20 such IIITs that the Centre intends to set up across the country. Official sources said nine private agencies have submitted an expression of interest for the ambitious project that would be undertaken in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. According to the proposal, setting up the institute involves an expenditure of Rs 128 crore of which Rs 54 crore will be provided by the Centre. The state government will invest Rs 45 crore and the remaining amount will be contributed by the private agency that takes up the project. The institute will come up on 50 acres allocated by the state government free of cost. Commissioner-cum-secretary of the state information technology department Pradeep Kumar Jena said the proposal would be sent to the Centre after a private partner for the venture was finalised. “The location (of the institute) will be decided by the private concern,” said Jena. He said the aim of the institute would be to provide state-of-the-art facilities to produce professionals in the field of information technology.