BHUBANESWAR/JEYPORE: A day ahead of its platinum jubilee, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday approved upgradation of Vikram Deb (autonomous) college at Jeypore into an affiliating university. The Vikram Deb University will start functioning from the 2023-24 academic session and cater to students of four districts of Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Rayagada.
The Higher Education department in a notification stated that the territorial jurisdiction of Berhampur University has been changed by establishing the Vikram Deb University under Odisha University Act, 1989. The institution becomes the second affiliating university after Berhampur University in southern Odisha.
Currently, Berhampur University affiliates 184 degree and professional colleges of seven southern Odisha districts. After Vikram Deb University becomes operational, Berhampur university will only affiliate institutions in Ganjam, Kandhamal and Gajapati districts.
Officials of the Higher Education department informed that the new university will continue to operate with the existing departments and faculty members. At present, the college has 17 post-graduate and 20 undergraduate departments with a student strength of around 4,000.
Following the announcement by the chief minister, Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari on Thursday held a meeting with principal of the college Gopal Haldar. “The university tag for Vikram Deb college was a long-pending demand by people of undivided Koraput district and I am thankful to the chief minister for giving special attention to education of youths in this tribal region,” said the minister adding that the principal has been asked to submit proposals on additional faculty and infrastructure requirement for the new university.
The college was established in 1947 as Jeypore college and in 1951, it was renamed as Vikram Deb college. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will attend the platinum jubilee celebration of the institution on Friday. While MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati thanked the chief minister for the university status to the college, principal Haldar said students of the four districts do not have to step out of the region to pursue university degrees now.
Including Vikram Deb and Berhampur University, southern Odisha has four universities now. The two others are Central University at Koraput and Khallikote unitary university, which are non-affiliating in nature. With this, the number of universities in the state goes up to 36.