State loses out $1 billion education project to Orissa

The government’s delay in taking a decision led to a loss of Rs5,000 crore investment and a world-class university. Chairman of Vedanta Resources Anil Agarwal signed an MoU with the Orissa government last week after the Maharashtra government failed to
respond. 

“The biggest problem was providing 5,000 acres of land adjoining Mumbai and Pune,” said minister for higher and technical education Dilip Walse-Patil.

The Orissa government provided 9,000 acres of land between Puri and Konark and in the process walked away with a mega project.

“Coalition politics along with state’s failure to get the Private University Bill cleared because of a dispute on the reservation quota during the monsoon session has affected the investment,” said an official.

A few NCP and Congress leaders want 50 per cent quotas in private universities.

A proposal to set up Vedanta University with a $1billion investment by Vedanta Resources was presented before the state government. Agarwal had sought the PM’s support too.

“The Vedanta University will make global standards of educational excellence more accessible to the future generations of our country, thereby creating Nobel laureates, Olympic champions and heads of the government and state,” the chairman had said. 

The multi-disciplinary university will be set up in phases. The enrolment will start from 2008.

According to a university statement, “The future non-profit institution will aim to compete globally for the finest students, lecturers, and researchers with world renowned universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford.”