First Cluster University to be Built in Orissa

Under the audacious Rashtriya Uchachatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) programme, the autonomous college of Khallikote is going to be the first cluster university in Orissa. Under this scheme, four to five colleges in a particular region would get turned into a cluster and they would be granted autonomy to share experiences, infrastructure and teaching faculty among each other.

In the newly created cluster university, there would be four colleges that are affiliated to Berhampur University which would be part of the scheme. The names of the colleges are, Chhatrapur College, Shashi Bhushan Rath Government Women’s College, Binayak Acharya College and Gopalpur College. Along with this all the women’s colleges functioning under Utkal University would now come under the newly affiliated Rama Devi Women’s University by Orissa Government.

Under the RUSA programme the new universities would get Rs. 55 crore each for the development of infrastructure facility and hiring faculty members. Three of the colleges named SCS Colleges, Government Degree College, Sundergarh and KKS Women’s College would be converted in model colleges and for the same Rs. 4 crore each has been allotted. For 31 other colleges in the state there would be a grant of Rs 2 crore each under the RUSA programme.

According to sources, under the RUSA programme five of the major universities in Orissa, Utkal University, Berhampur University, Sambalpur University, Biju Patnaik University of Technology and Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology would collectively get around Rs 380 crore as developmental fund.

Important Points

• Under RUSA the autonomous college of Khallikote is going to be the first cluster university in Orissa
• Under this scheme, four to five colleges in a particular region would get turned into a cluster
• Under the RUSA programme the new universities would get Rs. 55 crore each for the development