Naveen urges PM to set up IIT in Orissa in 11th Five year plan

Bhubaneswar, May 10 (UNI) Peeved over the denial of IIT to Orissa despite assurances in the past, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today dashed a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to include the case of Orissa in setting up of a IIT during the 11th Plan period.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, copies of which were released to the press here, Mr.Patnaik said the people of Orissa felt let down by the decision of the Centre not to have a IIT in the state during the eleventh five year plan.

He said the recent reply of the Union Minister of state for Human Resource Development (HRD) in the floor of the Parliament regarding the establishment of IIT in the country has come as a rude shock to the people of the state as the claim of Orissa for an IIT has been ignored despite repeated request to the HRD Ministry.

The Chief Minister said Union Minister of state for HRD M.M.

Fatima had mentioned in Patna on August 28,2006 that Orissa has been included for three green field IITs in the 11th Five year plan.

''It is indeed very painful that this has been reversed by the HRD ministry for the reasons best known to it,'' he said.

Drawing the Prime Minister's attention, the Chief Minister said Orissa did not have any institute of excellence in the higher studies.

There has been a proposal to have the branch of IIT Kharagpur for which the state government had even earmarked 300 acres of land.

But such proposal has been turned down, Mr.Patnaik said adding when he met the Union HRD Minister, the latter told him that the case of Orissa would be considered for a full fledged green field IIT.

The Chief Minister while expressing his deep concern over the decision of the Centre not to have a IIT in Orissa, said it appeared that the objective criteria for selection of three IITs had not been followed.

UNI