Proposed greenfield IIT in Orissa was shifted

To
The President of India, Dr Abdul Kalam
The Primeminister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh
UPA Chairman, Ms Sonia Gandhi

Dear President, Prime Minister and UPA Chairman, Government of India

We, the people of Orissa, are extremely sad and angry to learn that the proposed IITs in Orissa which was announced by Minister of State, HRD, Mr. MAA Fatmi has now been taken away from Orissa, plese see the following link, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/ 1933613.cms.

After this announcement on 28th August 2006, we got to know about omission of Orissa on 20th December 2006. http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/NEWS/ India/IITs_ to_come_up_ in_Bihar_ Andhra_and_ Rajasthan/ articleshow/ 870671.cms

This further aggravates the injustice done to Orissa by HRD ministry because Orissa has been at the bottom of HRD funding along with Bihar and Rajasthan. While injustices with Bihar and Rajasthan have been corrected, why Orissa has once again been neglected???

The Case for an IIT in Orissa:

(i). Role of IIT: Significant impact on the state and the vicinity
where it is located.
-- On the industry (R & D collaborations)
-- On the cities and towns
-- On the educational institutions
-- etc.

(ii) Orissa's recent industrial development:

The State is in the steps of adding in excess of 70 million tones per annum (mtpa) capacity in steel making, 4 mtpa in alumina refining, 1 mtpa in aluminium, 15 mtpa capacity in petrochemical
refining, 13000 MWs in power generation and 5 mtpa in cement manufacture. More than 20 iron & steel projects have already commenced production during the year 2006.

Industrial that have recently set up or are in the process of setting shop in Orissa: POSCO, Tatas, Mittal, L &T, Vedanta, Infosys, Satyam, TCS, Wipro, MindTree etc.

(iii). Support for Engineering colleges that have sprung up all over Orissa.

In recent years 40+ private engineering colleges have come up in Orissa. An IIT would tremendously help the teaching and research in these colleges. (How: (a) Collaboration (b) recruiting faculty from among the IIT post graduates and Ph.Ds (c) pave the way for teachers in the private engineering colleges to pursue higher degrees at the IIT.)

(iv). Orissa at the bottom of MHRD funding (MHRDs long neglect of Orissa)
http://chitta.googlepages.com/2006budget1
http://www.baral.us/hrd-nh.htm
http://equitableindia.org

2006-07 budget: MHRD is scheduled to spend Rs 4.07 on HRD-NH (HRD ministry funded higher education institutions plus institutions of national importance) per person in Orissa, it will spend Rs 183.08 in Delhi, Rs 41.20 in West Bengal (up from Rs 28.1), Rs 33.4 in Karnataka (up from 25.125), Rs 27 in Tamil Nadu (up from Rs 17.79), Rs 28.38 in Maharastra (up from 17.1), Rs 17.73 in UP, Rs 16.05 in Andhra, Rs 33.27 in Punjab, Rs 8.13 in Haryana, Rs 7.90 in Kerala, Rs 9.02 in MP, Rs 4.87 in Gujarat, Rs 4.07 in Orissa, Rs 2.59 in Rajasthan, and Rs 1.87 in Bihar.

(v). Orissa's other backwardness in various indices including human development index.


(vi) Why your announcement of NISER should not be counted against a Greenfield IIT

1. That would mean you cost Orissa Rs 3250 crores

2. NISER is not funded by MHRD. Thus Orissa's position vis-а-vis MHRD funding is still at the bottom 3.


3. Two of the other states (we have nothing against them) that are picked for the IITs have had other institutes announced for them during 2006.

(a) Bihar and Andhra Pradesh each will have a new NIPER (National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research) like institute that are being established by the Ministry of fertilizer and
Chemicals. The other states where these institutes will be established are Gujarat and West Bengal. http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=19376

(b) Andhra Pradesh will have an IIPH (Indian Institute of Public Health). Other state where these institutes will be established are Tamil Nadu, UP, Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat and West Bengal.

(c) Two institutes of Andhra Pradesh (Osmania University College of engineering and Andhra University College of Engineering) and three others (IT-BHU, CUSAT, BESU) were short listed for up gradation to IIT cousin status and were designated to be called IIEST (Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology.) These are to be funded by MHRD.

Note: We have nothing against these states. Please do not take away the announced IITs from them. Just allocate an IIT for Orissa in the 11th plan, as was announced by your (the union) minister of state for HRD Mr. Fatmi on August 28th in Patna.

People of Orissa were the first to raise the voice nationally in 2005 and 2006 and argue for equitable distribution of HRD money across various states. Two Orissa researchers came up with the notion of per capita MHRD funding on higher education of various states and showed that Rajasthan, Bihar, and Orissa were at the bottom.

http://equitableindia.org
http://www.baral.us/hrd-nh.htm
Hindu: http://www.blonnet.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010900080900.htm
Indian Express: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3486/1774/1600/newindexpmay26.jpg.0.jpg
Hindustan Times: http://www.baral.us/orissa/pdf/2006-feb14-ht-nis.pdf


Its ironical that after MHRD seems to have bought into the index of per capita spending on higher education HRD developed by the Orissa researchers, they have punished Orissa. i.e., they picked Bihar and Rajasthan which are also at the bottom of MHRD funding but yet skipped Orissa.

In their protest (http://iiser.blogspot.com/) last year Orissans did not use any of the disruptive mechanisms like Rasta Roko, Bundhs etc and rather used modern methods such as letter writing, candle light rallies, writing in news media, talking to their representatives (MPs) and convincing them to talk to you. But instead of being rewarded we are now being punished. In this time of strife and terrorism in many parts of India is this the message you want to send to the people of India? That be violent then we will negotiate with you and give you an IIT or similar institution (example: IIT in Assam, Central Institute of Technology, Kokrajhar, Assam as a deal with the Bodos, Sant Longowal Inst. in Punjab, etc.) and protest peacefully we will punish you, i.e., take away an announced for IIT.

We still believe in peaceful, non-violent, and non-disruptive protests and hence we are writing to you. We sincerely hope that you will annul the punishment of taking away an IIT from Orissa and
allocate an IIT for Orissa in the 11th plan, as was announced by your (the union) minister of state for HRD Mr. Fatmi on August 28th in Patna.

Thank you.

Sincerely


Other References:
http://iits-11thplan.blogspot.com/
http://newiits.blogspot.com/