BARIPADA: North Orissa University (NOU) was officially rechristened Maharaja Sri Ram Chandra Bhanja Deo University after a notification in this regard was issued by the Higher Education department on Wednesday.Two days after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s announcement, BJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Dr Sasmit Patra informed the development at a media conference here. The historic move marks 150th birth anniversary of the erstwhile Maharaja who is celebrated one of the makers of modern Odisha and worked for all round development of the princely state.
“The BJD had proposed to rename the university after the erstwhile king of Mayurbhanj during his 150th birth anniversary on December 17,” Patra said.He said the 122-year-old Sri Ram Chandra Library, situated in the heart of Baripada town, will be renovated and funds for the project will soon be released by the State government.
As per records, the Maharaja had presented the complete set of 29 volumes of Vedas to the library from his personal collection. The library faces a cataloguing problem as many of the volumes have not been enlisted in the register. This apart, the State government has sanctioned `5 crore for renovation and beautification of Haribaldev Jew temple. Similarly, steps will be taken to demarcate eco-sensitive Similipal National Park in the district to protect the wildlife from illegal quarries and stone crushing units nearby.