Centre may establish IIT Kharagpur branch in Bhubaneswar: Patnaik

New Delhi, Sep 29 (UNI) Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said the central government was positively inclined to set up a branch of the Indian Istitute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur at Bhubaneswar.

After meeting Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, Mr Patnaik said, ''The Centre is positively inclined to set up such an institution in Bhubaneswar soon.'' Mr Patnaik offered 300 acres of land in the suburb of Bhubaneswar for the establishment of the institution and the state government was committed to provide all necessary assistance for the branch.

''Orissa is fast emerging as a hub for industrial activities, an institution of the stature of IIT would provide the much-needed boost to the efforts of the government in providing support to these industires,'' said Mr Patnaik.

The Chief Minister also discussed, with Mr Singh, the establishment of a new Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) at Bhubaneswar.

Mr Patnaik said he had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the establishment of IIT at Bhubaneswar.

As the city was emerging as a major centre for IT and IT-enabled services, it was prudent in the part of the Centre to establish an IIT in the Orissa Capital, said Mr Patnaik.

Mr Singh assured the Chief Minister that the demand of the state government would be considered.

Mr Patnaik said the state government would provide the required land and other logistic supports for the establishement of the IIT at Bhubaneswar.

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