Odisha would have another private university as the Jagadguru Kripalu Yoga Trust (JKYT) has been allowed to set up a Jagadguru Kripalu University in the State.

This would be eighteenth university in the State to be governed through the Department of Higher Education. And this would be the sixth private university.

However, there are several other universities governed by the Department of Health & Family Welfare and the Department of Skill Development & Technical Education.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved a proposal of the Department of Higher Education for allowing the JKYT to set up a university. The university would come up at Banara in Cuttack district, where the trust has been allotted 100 acres of land by the State Government.

In fact, way back in 2008, the JKYT had signed an MoU with the State Government to set up a Vedic university.

Five schools of higher learning in Yoga, Naturopathy, Philosophy, Religion and Comparative Religion and others would be opened under the university. A committee of experts advised the authorities that study and research on AYUSH could be the focus area, where the university has enough scope to do well.

While the JKYT had proposed to offer study in Nanotechnology, the expert committee, which looked into the proposal, felt, “This will not be a rational proposition.” Secondly, offering Engineering and Management studies does not seem appreciable as a large numbers of colleges are already offering these courses and many of them are in the process of getting closed down, pointed out the expert committee.

The committee pointed out that such professional courses stand on the strength of employability possibilities of the outgoing learners to be sustainable; and for the purpose, a high level of professionalism would be necessary. The committee advised the trust to go for those areas of study where they have the expertise and would attain academic excellence. The trust accepted the advice and brought changes in their proposal.

The new proposed university would have a centralised library and a computer laboratory.

With the in-principle approval of the Government, a Bill would be placed in the State legislative Assembly for passing it and then making it an Act.

Notably, while six months ago, the Government approved an Asian School of Business Management (ASBM) University, it is still hanging in balance. The Bill for the purpose is yet to be finalised for presentation in the Assembly.

However, a proposal for an Asian Institute of Public Health (AIPH) University, which was approved by the Government at the same time as ASBM has got has gone ahead with the Assembly passing the Bill in time.