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By eminent Prof Chitta
Showing posts with label development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label development. Show all posts
3 New ITIs for Kandhamal
The State Government Thursday decided to facilitate setting up of three more Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Kandhamal district which is limping back to normalcy from communal cauldron. The State-run Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) and Orissa Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) will be asked to set up two ITIs while the Government is contemplating to request Vedanta to set up the third one as part of its social responsibility for the State.
A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today reviewed the Kandhamal situation and the progress achieved on the rehabilitation front.The Chief Minister reportedly directed the Industries Department to take up the issue with OMC and OHPC for the proposed ITIs which should come up as early as possible. The Government will provide land free of cost. It has been decided to set up the proposed ITIs at the block headquarters of Tumudibandha, Baliguda and G Udaygiri.At present, the only Government ITI is located at Phulbani while a privately managed Industrial Training Centre (ITC) is also functioning in the district. The Chief Minister also directed the Industries Department to convert the Phulbani ITI into a centre of excellence by pooling assistance from industrial and corporate houses. The meeting was informed that 2,274 houses were damaged in eight of the 12 blocks where door-to-door survey has been completed by the Panchayati Raj Department. The four blocks that have not been surveyed are Tumudibandha, Daringbadi, K.Nuagaon and Khajuariapada. Housing assistance will be provided after the survey is completed, the meeting was reportedly told.While the Revenue Department has issued 12,000 gratuitous relief cards for distribution among the affected individuals and households, complaints of political interference during distribution have come to the notice of the administration.Since sarpanches have been given the responsibility for distribution of GR cards, there are complaints that the cards are distributed on political consideration, the meeting was told.Development Commissioner RN Bohidar and secretaries of Industries, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, Energy, Rural Development, Revenue, Works and Panchayati Raj were present.Unimaginable ignorance towards KBKK in higher education by Odisha State Government
Friday, June 6, 2008
Original Trackback URLDear Chief Minister, Intellectuals and Journalists of Odisha,
Father bought a sophisticated toy and gifted it to the elder son who knew how to play with it. Looking at that the, younger son, who had the capability to learn but did not know how to play with it, started crying. Noticing it the mother immediately put a Rasagola into his(younger son's) mouth to shut him up. The youngest son was in awe without understanding anything till the end.
In this daily routine of a middle class family, the role played by central and Odisha state governments are like that of the father and the mother and that Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and KBK regions are the respective elder, younger and youngest sons.
The central Government announced an IIT for Odisha and people around Berhampur wanted to establish it in their region, which is all right.
Nonetheless, consistent persuasion of central Govt. and policy makers to have an airport in the vicinity of IIT, the dream of Berhampur region started getting marginalized. Taking into notice the frustration of CM's home district, the state Govt. immediately announced an engineering college in Berhampur opening the Pandora box of the beloved state.
If the state Govt. wanted to establish a new engineering college, it's a very welcome decision. However, it should reflect the practical and social requirements for the whole state.
Except undivided Kalahandi, Balangir, Koraput and Kandhamal (KBKK)districts in Odisha, rest of the undivided districts have at least one government institutions solely funded by state Government like a state university, engineering college, medical college or agriculture college. For many of them second institution through PPP or state Govt. funded are under consideration and few of them are lucky to have 3 government institutions funded completely by the state government.
What these poor undivided KBKK districts did to the Odisha state Government that their demands always fall into deaf ears?
Secondly, state Govt. is not getting enough funds to establish a new state Govt. institute in other parts of Odisha, therefore, it is encouraging private parties to participate through PPP to build higher educational institutes importantly in KBK districts, and none of them have succeeded so far. Then suddenly the same state Govt. is able to announce new Govt. Engineering College in Berhampur ignoring KBKK districts, does not it sound funny?
Are our policy makers mad reasoning PPP mode institutions in Koraput/Balangir and complete state Govt. funded institution in Bhubaneswar/Berhampur?
I am not saying Berhampur does not deserve a state Govt. engineering institute which is like saying Punjab did not deserve an IIT. However, the timing, location and political bargaining have made the present situation so easier that any intellectual could easily realize the ignorance towards KBKK districts by state Govt. is unimaginable and deeply shameful.
If the state Government needed to establish an Engineering institute in South Odisha, wasn't Koraput more suitable choice to satisfy every aspect, or, south Odisha means people of Berhampur and framers of Ganjam district only?
Engineering colleges in smaller towns such as Gunpur (private), Pralakhemundi (private), Sarang (state Govt.) etc are being very much successfully run in Odisha. Amazingly, why can't Koraput/Jeypore, Bhawanipatna, Balangir, or Phulbani, those are considered as major towns in Odisha representing major chunks of regions, make for an engineering institute?
Is it the reason our CM wanted to establish a new engineering college in his home district like our HRD minister and Prime minister tried and exposed them-selves to the whole nation?
Berhampur already has a state university, medical college and a diploma engineering college solely funded by the state Government and there are also few good private engineering institutes in its vicinity.
Do we mean the farmer and economically weaker sections in Berhampur region deserves more a state Govt. engineering institute than the same sections in Koraput, Bhawanipatna, Balangir or Phulbani regions?
Before taking the decision hurriedly, it should have been practical to bring regional balance to all regions regarding solely state funded Governmental institutes to every region in Odisha.
If the state Govt. feels KBKK is only for backwardness and poverty, it's a shame to the state and its people. Balangir, Kalahandi, Nabrangpur regions are top districts in rice production (Balangir and Kalahandi are among top 3). In industries too KBK is not that backward while contributing to her mother state, such as hydroelectricity project like Upper Kolab, Upper Indravati, Balimela, Machhakund,
Duduma etc., aluminium mining and projects in Damonjodi, Rayagada, Lanjigarh, etc, and ferro silicon industries in Rayagada, Koraput etc, in addition to supplying forest resources mainly Kendu leaves, Mahul, bamboos and woods; all of them are equally contributing to the state/nation.
It's the step motherly attitude and ignorance of the state Govt. which is making KBKK more backward.
Is it not the role of the state Government to equalize every region of the state, so that each of them would feel confident and equally participate in state's overall development?
Instead of doing that the state Government is acting like a mother who knows the trick to put a Rasagola into the mouth of those crying children to appease them each time they create a hue and cry about such a situation.
Thank you and best regards
Sincerely
Digambara Patra
American University of Beirut
Lebanon
Infosys to fund mid day meal for Kandhamal Dist
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BHUBANESWAR: IT major Infosys today said it would invest Rs 500 crore in Orissa for setting up an SEZ in IT and ITeS sectors and take care of children's mid-day-meal scheme and healthcare services. "We have proposed to set up an IT SEZ in Bhubaneswar. The project will require 50 acres of land", T V Mohandas Pai, Director HR, ER and administration and member of board of Infosys, told reporters here. Pai who along with prominent cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty and employment planner Manish Agarwal, met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, said they made a presentation before the government outlining their development plan for IT sector and allied service in the state. Pai who had been funding mid-day meal for 10,000 school children in Nayagarh district, also agreed to extend the programme to Gajapati and Kandhamal districts, official sources said. Besides, 30,000 children in Puri district were also getting midday meal in Puri district. "We have been spending Rs 6.50 per child to provide quality food," Pai said pointing out that Infosys had spent Rs 5.5 crore towards its corporate social responsibility. Shetty, who had been providing health care service to BPO staff, urged Patnaik to allot five-seven acres of land in the city for setting up a 1,000-bed heart hospital. As the city was gradually becoming a IT hub of Eastern India with almost all major players opening their development centres, employees required quality heath service, Shetty said. "We have also requestedthe state government to help Shetty set up a heart hospital here", Pai told reporters.
BHUBANESWAR: IT major Infosys today said it would invest Rs 500 crore in Orissa for setting up an SEZ in IT and ITeS sectors and take care of children's mid-day-meal scheme and healthcare services. "We have proposed to set up an IT SEZ in Bhubaneswar. The project will require 50 acres of land", T V Mohandas Pai, Director HR, ER and administration and member of board of Infosys, told reporters here. Pai who along with prominent cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty and employment planner Manish Agarwal, met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, said they made a presentation before the government outlining their development plan for IT sector and allied service in the state. Pai who had been funding mid-day meal for 10,000 school children in Nayagarh district, also agreed to extend the programme to Gajapati and Kandhamal districts, official sources said. Besides, 30,000 children in Puri district were also getting midday meal in Puri district. "We have been spending Rs 6.50 per child to provide quality food," Pai said pointing out that Infosys had spent Rs 5.5 crore towards its corporate social responsibility. Shetty, who had been providing health care service to BPO staff, urged Patnaik to allot five-seven acres of land in the city for setting up a 1,000-bed heart hospital. As the city was gradually becoming a IT hub of Eastern India with almost all major players opening their development centres, employees required quality heath service, Shetty said. "We have also requestedthe state government to help Shetty set up a heart hospital here", Pai told reporters.
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