Letter to Education Minister by Indian Professor from abroad to Establishing a National Tribal University in Kalahandi, Odisha

Odishabarta

Beirut :Dear Honourable Minister of Education Sri Pradhan,My heartiest congratulation to you for being minister of Education in the recent cabinet reshuffle. We are very proud of you as the first Odia to become Education minister in the country. 

I would like to bring your attention that earlier ministry of education, formerly MHRD,  had decided that Indira Gandhi National Tribal University could consider establishment of one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi district during the 11th plan period, subject to availability of sources (copy of RTI reply attached). 

Addl. District Magistrate Kalahandi had identified and forwarded land in Kalahandi for the purpose of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University campus to F.A. cum Additional Secretary to Government, Department of Higher Education, Odisha by referring to Letter no. 27908 dated 23.09.2010 with letter no. 1935, date: 12.10.2010 (copy attached).

Afterwards no further progress has been made since the past decade.

In fact, Odisha has a greater responsibility for tribal communities as it houses 62 different kinds of tribal groups and at least ONE out of every FIVE people in Odisha is tribal. Kalahandi has been struggling for a central university for the past 30 years. There is a strong public demand for it. Thuamul Rampur is a tribal dominated block having more than 50 % tribal population. It is one of the most backward blocks in the state as well as in the nation. No major developmental initiatives in higher education and medical colleges have been made for this block since the past 75 years. Local tribal populations have been neglected and marginalized while accessing higher education and medical schools in the state and national level despite its richness. Thuamul Rampur is geographically located in the central location of the major tribal blocks located in Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts. It is also a central point for all backward KBK, Kandhamal, Gajapati districts and tribal and Maoists dominated regions in South and Western Odisha.  Besides its central location, a good road has come to connect the proposed and identified site in Thuamul Rampur with Bhawanipatna, which has rail connectivity and soon will have an airport under UDAN scheme.

As a great leader from Odisha, you are well familiar with tribal communities and their potential in the state, therefore, I urge you to kindly pursue establishing a branch of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University or a completely new National Tribal University in Kalahandi under the ministry of education as soon as possible.

Press Note;Digambara Patra MPhil, PhD
Professor,Department of Chemistry,American University of Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon