BHUBANESWAR: The state government has merged the second campus of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo (MSCB) University with the newly-opened Dharanidhar (DD) University at Keonjhar under the Odisha Universities Act,1989.
It was notified by the Higher Education department on Thursday. No fresh admissions will be made to the second campus of MSCB university and students will be admitted to DD university from the 2023-24 academic session onwards. All existing students of the university, though, will continue to remain under the jurisdiction of MSCB university till completion of their course.
Earlier this year in February, the state government had accorded university status to the Dharanidhar autonomous college which was under the territorial jurisdiction of MSCB university, formerly North Orissa University, under sub-section (1) and (2) of section 32 of Odisha University Act, 1989 (Odisha Act 5 of 1989).
The MSCB university was operating additional five teaching departments of Odia, Sanskrit, English, Geology and Material Science at its second campus in Keonjhar. Under the new arrangement, all these five courses and their faculty members will be shifted to DD university.Officials of the department said the land which was allotted in favour of MSCB university by the state government will also be alienated in favour of the Keonjhar university.
The new Dharanidhar university will reduce the burden on MSCB university. The MSCB university, whose jurisdiction covered 105 colleges including 68 in Mayurbhanj and 37 in Keonjhar, imparted education to a large number of students at both graduate and post-graduate levels. The 37 colleges in Keonjhar will now be brought under the new university.