BHUBANESWAR | Wednesday, November 19, 2008 | Email | Print | 
CM demands tribal varsity in Kandhamal
PNS | Bhubaneswar
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has demanded a Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in Kandhamal. Presenting a memorandum in this regard to the Central ministerial team headed by Sharad Pawar, the Chief Minister pleaded for the centre of higher learning in the riot–hit tribal zone.
Pawar held a two-hour-long meeting with Patnaik along with the Union Tribal Affairs Minister PR Kyndiah and Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar, here on Monday.
Taking the Central team's visit as an opportunity, Patnaik reiterated his demand for the IGNTU centre. He said it would go a long way in providing education to the tribal youth, who are in difficult situation.
The Union Cabinet recently approved the setting up of a university exclusively for promoting avenues for higher education and research facilities for the tribal population in the country. The institution is to promote studies and research in tribal art, culture, tradition, language, custom, medicinal systems, forest-based economic activities, including specialised studies on flora and fauna, and advancements in technologies relating to the natural resources in the tribal areas.
The IGNTU, located at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, will have powers to establish regional centres in the tribal areas in different parts of the country, apart from granting affiliation to colleges engaged in tribal-related studies. It will cater to the specific educational needs of the tribal population of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi has persuaded the Prime Minister to open an IBNTU regional centre in his State. So, the demand for a regional centre in Kandhamal is not only justified but also the need of the hour, said leading non-resident Oriya Chitta Baral, Professor of the Arizona State University.
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