Odisha's Dharanidhar Autonomous College (DD College) in Keonjhar has been accorded university status by the state government. All degree colleges in the district will now be affiliated to the new university. Earlier the college was under the territorial jurisdiction of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University (MSCB University), formerly North Orissa University. Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a video message said, “It is a happy moment as Dharanidhar College is now converted into a university.” A week ago, the chief minister had accorded university status to Vikram Deb Autonomous College in Koraput district.
In a notification, the department of Higher Education stated, “In exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (1) and (2) of section 32 of Odisha University Act, 1989 (Odisha Act 5 of 1989), the state government do hereby alter the territorial jurisdiction of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Baripada, Mayurbhanj by establishing a new university called the Dharanidhar University at Keonjhar, Odisha with effect from the date of notification in the Odisha Gazette,” according to a report by The New Indian Express.
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This takes the total number of universities in north Odisha to three and across the state to 37 (both government and private). 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 postgraduate (PG) levels. The 37 colleges in Keonjhar will now be brought under the new university thus, reducing the burden on the MSCB University, reported TNIE.
According to officials from the Higher Education department, the university will become functional from June 1 this year. The department will appoint a vice-chancellor, registrar and comptrollers of finance and examination and the file in this regard has already been sent to the Finance department. Till then, the principal of the college will be the in-charge registrar-cum-principal. The university will also continue with the existing UG and PG departments till it decides to open new ones depending on the students’ demand.