Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 23: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik gave his nod Thursday for university status to two renowned colleges – the RD Autonomous Women’s College and the Khallikote Autonomous College. “A notification would be issued soon,” higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahy said. The two universities would start functioning from the coming academic session.
More courses would be introduced in the two institutions. If the land available inside the women’s college premises will not suffice, another campus may open in the city, Panigrahy said. The Union Government had approved the proposals to upgrade these two institutes under the Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) and it has promised `55crore each for infrastructure development. RD Autonomous Women’s College will be named as RD Women’s University and Khallikote Autonomous College as Khallikote Cluster University. All women colleges functioning under Utkal University will be brought under the new women’s university.
Similarly, four colleges — SBRG Women’s’ college, Binayak Acharya College, Gopalpur College and Government SC College, Chattrapur, located nearer to Khallikote college –will be brought under the cluster university’s purview. The state government has also decided to upgrade the GM Autonomous College, Sambalpur, as a university. The state has submitted a proposal to the Centre for its approval under RUSA.
