The Hindu Business Line : Vedanta varsity coming up in Orissa

The Anil Agarwal Foundation, promoted by Mr Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Resources Plc, on Wednesday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Orissa Government to set up a world-class multi-disciplinary University in Puri district of the State.

The Vedanta University will be established over 8000 acres of land near the Konark-Puri Marine Drive with an investment of Rs 15,000 crore in phases. The land will be made available by the State Government. The University aims to accommodate 100,000 students from the country and abroad.

The MoU was signed at the State Secretariat in the presence of Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik and Mr Agarwal and his family. State Industry Minister, Mr Biswabhushan Harichandan, Finance Minister, Mr Prafulla Chandra Ghadei and Higher Education Minister, Mr Samir Dey attended the crowded MoU signing ceremony.

Multi-disciplinary vision

The university will offer graduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes with world-renowned faculty driving the academic and research agenda. Its academic and research agenda will reflect its multi-disciplinary vision through colleges focusing on a variety of disciplines such as Liberal Arts, Basic Sciences, Medicine, Law, Business and Performing Arts.

Besides, there will be Centres of Excellence for cross disciplinary research in areas such as Agriculture, Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, Information and Communication Technology, Health Sciences, Rural Economics and Manufacturing Sciences. The university campus will also have an Olympic calibre sports complex, it is claimed.

It is envisaged that as the University grows, it would also enable the establishment of other research and development centres, knowledge-based industries and start ups, to create a vibrant education and research township.

State Govt support

The State Government will provide the allied infrastructure, including an expressway to connect the campus with Bhubaneswar airport.

The Government has also promised to pass a specific legislation to provide complete autonomy to the Vedanta University, which will be based on a `not-for-profit' philosophy.

The decision to locate the University in Orissa was taken on the basis of a detailed study carried out by A.T. Kearney, a reputed consultancy company from Germany.

The Foundation has appointed the architecture firm, Ayers Saint Gross to prepare the Master Plan for the university. The firm has designed some of the best campuses in the world.

Mr Agarwal who arrived in Orissa along with his wife and daughter offered puja at Shree Jagannath temple in Puri before attending the MoU signing ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Patnaik expressed hope that the proposed University will generate a vast poll of knowledge and human resource. The project will also have an impact on the local economy, he said.

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