Non-resident Odia (NRO) Professor Digambar Patra of the Department of Chemistry, American University of Beirut, lebanon, has urged the State Government to upgrade the Government Autonomous College Bhawanipatna (GACB) to a State (affiliated) university.
In a letter to CM Naveen Patnaik, and Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Prof Patra, who is a native of Kalahandi, cited several reasons why the GACB should be upgraded.
He stated that the GACB has always kept high standards of education practice in KBK-Kandhamal and western Odisha region. This is well reflected from the fact that the GACB was among the (i) first 52 colleges in India to receive Potential Center of Excellence (PCE) by University Grant Commission (UGC), (ii) first three colleges in Odisha to get PCE status by UGC, and (iii) the first college in KBK region to get PCE recognition.
Among the first three PCE colleges of Odisha, other two colleges (Ravenshaw College and GM College) in the State have already been made Unitary/Cluster Universities. Subsequently, Khallikote College, Brahmapur, was also awarded PCE status and the same college has already been made a university.