Vedanta University

Last updated

Proposed Vedanta University Project
VedantaUniversityOrissaLogo.jpg
TypeProposed Private
Endowment Unverified endowment numbers
Administrative staff
None
StudentsNone
Location
Konark
,
Odisha
,
India

19°51′35″N85°56′05″E / 19.859804°N 85.934835°E / 19.859804; 85.934835
Campus Rural, 6,000 acres planned, not yet acquired
Website www.vedanta.edu.in

Vedanta is a proposed, private, multi-disciplinary, co-educational university to be started by Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources corporation near Puri-Konark highway, Odisha, India. In July 2009, the government of Odisha passed a landmark bill to allow this massive university to be set up and function with autonomy. [1] [2] According to news reports and as of September 2010, there were no clear plans regarding the establishment of this proposed University. [3] However, in late April 2015 a revival of the project was initiated; The ex-Chief Secretary of Odisha, Mr. Bijay Patnaik, was hired as the President of the Vedanta University Project to revive this project. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

The vision

Anil Agarwal, an Indian businessman, who heads the London based Vedanta Resources corporation and Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha state in eastern India, had signed a memorandum of understanding to create a world class, multidisciplinary university, Vedanta University. [7] The university, which would be entirely a not-for-profit venture, was planned to be funded from Agarwal's personal funds. [7] [8] Sam Pitroda, the chairman of the Knowledge Commission was the choice of the first chancellor of Vedanta University. Recent reports also suggest that at least three Nobel laureates have been contracted to join the university. [9]

Academics and research

VedantaUniversityOrissaLogo.jpg

Schools and colleges

Centers of excellence

Campus and township

The foundation has identified 6,000 acres (24 km2) of land near the Puri-Konark marine drive between Nuanai and Balighai for the proposed Vedanta University. However the land acquisition for the university has hit a roadblock with the Supreme court ordering a status quo and hence the project has been stayed. [10]

Environmental violations

Several environmental violations were raised against the university resulting in multiple cases in the High court and the Supreme Court. In May 2010, Government of India asked the Anil Agarwal Foundation to stall the construction of the proposed Vedanta University at Puri to address issues related to environmental violations in the project. [11] [12]

Controversies

An academic has questioned whether, given its location and size, Vedanta can achieve its aims of being a leading research university. [13] A rejoinder on the matter was also published. [14] Another criticism leveled at the Vedanta university by politicians, local academics, and the farmers currently occupying the proposed site relates to the relatively vast area of the proposed campus and its large student intake, although a few individual opinions differ. [15]

High Court declares land acquisition for the university as illegal and void

On 16 November 2010, the Orissa High Court declared the land acquisition for the Rs 15,000-crore Vedanta University project in Puri town as illegal and void [16] [17] [18] [19]

Supreme Court - status quo on all land acquisition for Vedanta

A couple of months later, the Supreme court of India based in New Delhi ordered a stay or status Quo on all acquisition proceedings. [20]

Abandonnent of the project

It was claimed that when completed the world-class multi-disciplinary university over an area of 6,800 acres on Puri-Konark marine drive would be at par with Harvard and Oxford universities. The university, when fully operational, was to have an intake of 100,000 students with cutting-edge research facilities in 95 different academic disciplines. But local opposition and the problems over land acquisition led to the company abandoning the project. according to their statements. 26 out of the 30 staff posted on site had been since posted to other locations and the project is still described as "as good as over" according to a Vedanta official. [3]

Revival attempt starting 30 April 2015

A revival of the project is being tried with the hiring of the ex-Chief Secretary of Odisha, Mr. Bijay Patnaik, as the President of the Vedanta University Project. He joined this position on 30 April 2015. [5] [6] He told TOI [4] that his priority would be to expedite the decision in the supreme court case. Asked about potential conflict of interest, he said that such a question does not arise as the project he has joined has nothing to do with Vedanta as a company and he personally feels that the university is a desirable project that should take shape in the interest of Odisha. In an interview with Telegraph, [21] he discusses more details on his task in reviving Vedanta University. He also gave an interview [22] (in Odia) to OTV, a major cable channel in Odisha, where he addressed many questions that were raised by the media on this issue.

Some signs of a possible revival were earlier reported in September 2014 [23] and December 2014. [24] However, prior to that, in the previous years (2012, 2013), Anil Agarwal in some of his interviews did talk about his continuing interest in establishing Vedanta University. See for example: [25] [26] [27]

The Supreme court of India on 28 November 2016 gave some positive indications that it may allow Vedanta University. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India and a member of the bench hearing this case, Justice T.S. Thakur, is quoted to have said "Why should anyone oppose setting up of a world class university which will give opportunity to over one lakh students? If somebody is making an investment of Rs 2,500 crore in education, why should somebody oppose it? Students will benefit. Public would benefit." [28] The Supreme Court bench seems to have suggested that the court may monitor the setting up of the university so as to make sure that the land is used for the university and not for commercial purposes. [29] Following that, the promoter, Mr. Anil Agarwal, said to OTV in Bhubaneswar: "We will definitely go ahead with the plan to set up the university". [30]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Mishra, Sandeep (30 July 2009). "Bill for Vedanta varsity gets legislative seal". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Orissa assembly passes Vedanta University Bill, 2009".
  3. 1 2 Mohanty, Debabrata (8 September 2010). "Vedanta University a closed chapter". Indian Express. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 Pradhan, Ashok (1 May 2015). "Babu's Vedanta univ president post raises brows". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Former Odisha CS BK Patnaik joins Vedanta Group". 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. 1 2 "Former CS Patnaik joins Vedanta Varsity Project". 30 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Anil Agarwal donates $1 billion to set up university".
  8. ↑ "Major Private Gifts to Higher Education Since 1967". Archived from the original on 24 November 2005. Retrieved 24 November 2005.
  9. ↑ "Pitroda likely to be first Chancellor of Vedanta varsity". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 17 October 2012.
  10. ↑ Rautray, Samanwaya (29 January 2011). "Status quo on Vedanta land". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012.
  11. ↑ Centre halts Vedanta university
  12. ↑ Jairam says no to Vedanta campus in Orissa | NDTV.com
  13. ↑ "Vedanta University: a flawed pipe dream". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007.
  14. ↑ Odisha HRD » Rejoinder to "Vedanta University: a flawed pipe dream"
  15. ↑ "Vedanta University in Orissa & the dismal state of higher education in country". Orissa Diary. 21 August 2009.
  16. ↑ Asian Centre for Human Rights
  17. ↑ Land acquisition procedure for Vedanta University illegal: HC - Indian Express
  18. ↑ Land acquisition procedure for Vedanta University illegal: HC
  19. ↑ "Another set back to Vedanta". Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  20. ↑ "SC orders status quo on Vedanta university land in Orissa". The Times of India . 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
  21. ↑ "Hot seat: Bijay Kumar Patnaik, IAS (retired), former chief secretary and current president of Vedanta University project". 23 May 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Kholakatha 14 May 2015". YouTube . 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021.
  23. ↑ "Anil Agarwal to donate 75% of wealth for good of society". 26 September 2014.
  24. ↑ Satapathy, Bhupesh Bhandari Dillip (6 December 2014). "Anil Agarwal: Charity on his mind Agarwal has pledged three-fourths of his wealth to philanthropy. Will he deliver?". Business Standard India.
  25. ↑ "Vedanta Group hopeful of revival of varsity project". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 1 November 2012.
  26. ↑ "Anil Agarwal to take a non-executive post at Vedanta in 3-4yrs". 28 November 2012.
  27. ↑ Chatterjee, Dev (19 February 2013). "Vedanta will double earnings to $12-13 bn in 2-3 years: Anil Agarwal: Interview with chairman, Vedanta". Business Standard India.
  28. ↑ "SC hope for varsity plan by Vedanta". 29 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016.
  29. ↑ "May monitor setting up of private university in Odisha: SC". 29 November 2016.
  30. ↑ "Vedanta hopeful of Puri varsity". 1 December 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odisha</span> State in Eastern India

Odisha, formerly Orissa, is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. The region is also known as Utkaḷa and is mentioned by this name in India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. The language of Odisha is Odia, which is one of the Classical languages of India.

Vedanta Limited is an Indian multinational mining company headquartered in Mumbai, with its main operations in iron ore, gold and aluminium mines in Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Odisha.

Patnayak/ Pattnaik/ Pattanayak/ Patnaik is a native Odia surname found in states like Odisha, northeastern districts of Andhra Pradesh and southern districts of West Bengal in India. This surname is mainly found in Karana community of Odisha. Tadhau Karana servitors of Jagannath Temple, Puri belonging to Karana community mainly use the title "Pattanayaka".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konark</span> Town in Odisha, India

Konark is a medium town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometres from the capital of the state, Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple, also known as the Black Pagoda, built in black granite during the reign of Narasinghadeva-I. The temple is a World Heritage Site. The temple is now mostly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopal Ballav Pattanaik</span> 32nd Chief Justice of India

Gopal Ballav Pattanaik is an Indian lawyer and later a jurist who served over a period of 19 years in the bench of the Odisha High Court as a permanent judge, as chief justice of the Patna High Court, Judge of the Supreme Court of India and as the 32nd Chief Justice of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalahandi district</span> District of Odisha in India

Kalahandi district is a district of western Odisha in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puri district</span> District of Odisha in India

Puri district is a coastal district of the Odisha state of India. It has one sub-division, 11 tahasils and 11 blocks and comprises 1722 revenue villages. Puri is the only municipality of the district. Konark, Pipili, Satyabadi, Gop, Kakatpur and Nimapada are the NACs in this district while Brahmagiri being a semi-urban town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anil Agarwal (industrialist)</span> Indian businessman (born 1954)

Anil Agarwal, known professionally as "metal king," is an Indian billionaire businessman who is the founder and chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited. He controls Vedanta Resources through Volcan Investments, a holding vehicle with a 100% stake in the business.

Vedanta Resources Limited is a diversified mining company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India and has mining operations in Australia and Zambia and oil and gas operations in three countries. Its main products are Zinc, Lead, Silver, Oil & Gas, Iron Ore, Steel, Aluminium and Power. It has also developed commercial power stations in India in Odisha and Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konark Sun Temple</span> 13th century UNESCO world heritage site in Odisha, India

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Hindu Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast from Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha, India. The temple is attributed to king Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE.

The higher education controversy in Odisha is a sensitive political issue that has caused parliamentary walkouts, violence, and unrest, and has been the subject of scholarly publications regarding the Indian state of Odisha. According to media reports, there has been large-scale discrimination in setting up these institutions of higher learning against a few states, especially Odisha.

Previously a neglected aspect of the Indian Central government, Education in Odisha is witnessing a rapid transformation. Its capital city, Bhubaneswar, is emerging as a knowledge hub in India with several new public and private universities, including the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology after five decades of demand.

Ananga Kumar Patnaik is an Indian jurist and a former judge of the Supreme Court of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konark Dance Festival</span>

Konark Dance Festival is a five-day dance festival held every year in the month of December mostly from 1 to 5 in backdrop of the Sun temple in Konark, Odisha in India. It is one of the biggest dance festivals held in Odisha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudhir Pattnaik</span>

Sudhir Pattnaik is a journalist and a social activist from Orissa, India. He is the editor of Samadrusti, a fortnightly political and social news magazine in the Odia language published from Bhubaneswar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lingaraj Azad</span> Indian indigenous tribal activist (born 1962)

Lingaraj Azad, popularly known as Azad Bhai, is a dalit activist from the Indian state of Orissa. He became notable for his activism in opposing Vedanta Resources's bauxite refinery in Lanjigarh and mining of Niyamgiri Hills that tribals say would displace thirty villages of Dongria Kondhs on top of the mountains.

Digambara Patra is a professor of Chemistry at the American University of Beirut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University</span> Public Sanskrit Language University in Odisha, India

Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University, also known as Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, is a Sanskrit language university located in Puri, Odisha, India.

Nand Ghar is the flagship project of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Vedanta Group. The project provides infrastructure facilities along with early childhood education, healthcare, nutrition, and skill development for women with the goal of empowering 2 crore women and 7 crore children over 13.7 lakh Anganwadi centers in India. Under its Integrated Child Development Scheme, (ICDS) the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Vedanta are working together on the Nand Ghar project. In April 2016, the first Nand Ghar was founded in Varanasi's Nagepur district

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.