BHUBANESWAR: The Utkal University will sign an MoU with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) this month to open an outreach centre at the university for village-level implementation of various technologies developed by the DAE.
Informing this to mediapersons at the 47th convocation of Utkal University here on Tuesday, Vice-Chancellor of the institution Ashok Das said the DAE technologies including soil testing, water purification, tissue culture, food processing and bio-remediation of waste will be implemented on a pilot basis in seven villages of Odisha that have been adopted by the NSS wing of the university. The outreach centre will train rural populace in the NSS-adopted villages on use of these technologies.
Das said the university is set to introduce Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in all its affiliated colleges from next academic session of 2016-17 that begins in August this year. Last year, the university had introduced the CBCS in all autonomous colleges under its affiliation. Degree certificates of the university have been redesigned in accordance with security parameters set by the UGC. Das further informed that the university has taken up a virtual tutorial project under equity and access in education for developing e-content, technology platform and delivery instrument for tribal and weaker section students. “We have also submitted our self-assessment report to NAAC and we are expecting the peer team to visit the campus in April this year for re-accreditation,” said Das.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chancellor of Universities and Governor of Odisha SC Jamir said the university should focus on quality research work and innovation. He said though many students are obtaining PhD degrees every year, higher education institutions are falling behind in terms of quality and relevance of research work, particularly in new fields of Science.
Srikumar Banerjee, Chancellor of Homi Bhabha National Institute, an institution under the DAE, delivered the convocation address. He pointed out that there is an urgent need for enhancing research activities in universities including Utkal.
The Chancellor conferred honorary degrees (Honoris Causa) on Justice Basudev Panigrahi, who probed the communal riots in Kandhamal district in 2007, Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand and noted biochemist Nimai Charan Panda and Honoris Causa in absentia on emeritus professor of Humanities in California University Prasanta Pattanaik. This apart, 255 PhD degrees and 115 gold medals were given away by the Chancellor.