• Controversy persists over the location of the proposed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the state. IIM-Indore had made it clear to the human resource development (HRD) ministry that if the location of the campus was not decided by June 15, it would not begin the admission process for the current academic year.
I have no information about the admission process. As sought by the HRD ministry, we have submitted our report on the locations and they have to take the call.
• Don’t you think that the proposed IIM has been the victim of politics between the state and the Centre?
It’s not politics. They have their terms of references where the IIM should come up. Accordingly, they had decided on a site (in Bhubaneswar). Later, Union HRD minister Smriti Irani sought the views of the state government on the establishment of the IIM in Sambalpur. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik strongly recommended Sambalpur as the location. We have identified three sites for the permanent campus and equal number of sites for the temporary campus. A team is coming on June 25 to assess the ground realities.
• But people see politics behind State’s change of stand!
It’s not at all politics. Who does not want an IIM in Odisha? But it’s a question
of timing. The central team should come soon and identify the location. Now, they have to take the call. Once they take
the decision, we will fully cooperate with them and see that the institute comes up in the state.
• We have noticed the fate of Central University in Koraput. Don’t you think that the IIM at Sambalpur will also meet similar fate?
Sambalpur is developed in all respects. Economic activities in the region have surpassed other parts of the state. There is an industrial corridor and well-built communication system. So Sambalpur is the right location for the IIM.
• There has also been a demand from Berhampur and other parts to set up the IIM in their respective areas.
We have taken the decision to establish the IIM at Sambalpur.
• Was it because of pressure from the Centre?
No. There is no pressure. The Centre had asked us to explore the possibility of establishing the IIM in Sambalpur and
we did it.
• After taking over the employment and the technical education department, you had announced a special recruitment drive, but that is yet to materialise. What went wrong?
When I became a minister, I had the ambition to do something good for unemployed youths. We tried to create a platform for all those who could not manage to get jobs through their respective campus recruitments. We have been able to create a database of nearly 41,000 youths, who have registered with us for the special recruitment drive. We have tied up with many companies and going to introduce on-line recruitment for them.
• It has been alleged that the government charged Rs 100 from each youth for registration of their names.
There have been a series of allegations over the last one year. No one looked into the truth behind them. Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) has formulated a guideline for the special drive. Just let me tell you that for introducing the on-line recruitment, we will be spending Rs 500 on each candidate. Who will pay for that? It’s unfortunate that the entire exercise is being painted in a negative manner.
• Many engineering colleges have shut down due to lack of students. How will the state government make Odisha a technical education hub?
Odisha continues to be a destination for technical education. In eastern India, every one wants to invest in Odisha in the field of technical education because of the transparent government policies. Until recently, the state had three technical colleges, but now there are hundreds of engineering colleges and a number of deemed universities.
If the environment is not conducive here, why would people invest their resources in this field? Engineering colleges have not been closed completely but a few subjects that had become redundant in some colleges had been withdrawn. Besides, for running an engineering college, you need to be focused and work hard to make it successful.
• It has also been noticed that a large number of engineering seats are going vacant every year. Earlier, there were lapses.
We had increased number of seats without assessing the ground realities. The number of students coming from
outside the state has gone down to a certain extent.
• A number of controversies are associated with the OJEE. The high court has ordered special JEE this year because the Odisha Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admission of Fixation of Fee) Act, 2007, has not been amended. What is your view on this?
The matter is in the Supreme Court and sub-judice. The high court had earlier given an order on the issue. The government will abide by whatever the court directs. On the issue of amending the act, I can say the cabinet will take a decision shortly.
• Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is reviewing the activities of different departments. On a 10-point scale, how many marks you will give yourself?
It is the people of Odisha who will give me marks. The chief minister has assigned us work. In the technical education department, our primary focus is on improving the quality of education and providing a conducive platform for recruitment. In the food supplies department, our job is to take steps to ensure that the farmers get remunerative price for their produce and needy people are guaranteed food security. So I am working in this direction and you, the media, need to assess it.
• What is your perception about the chief minister’s ongoing review of departments?
In the case of technical education, the chief minister has instructed us to make third party assessment of work relating to recruitment and other issues. In the case food supplies, he asked us to strictly enforce the public distribution system and prepare a road map to ensure 100 per cent direct cash transfer to farmers. Steps are being taken for paddy procurement and getting bank accounts for farmers in sixty blocks for online transfers. In the next kharif season, the direct cash transfer system will be extended to another 100 blocks and by 2018, all the blocks will be covered. There has been substantial change in Kalahandi district, once the cause of global embarrassment for India due to its acute poverty. The paddy procurement is highest from Kalahandi. Odisha is now ranked fourth in the country when it comes to surplus paddy.
• Over the past one year, shortage of essential food items, particularly potato and onion, has been a major concern. What corrective measures are you taking?
Until we have our own production and storage facility, we will remain a consumer state. Now the state government has launched a Potato Mission. Steps are being taken to step
up potato production. We have planned to build 136 cold storages. Work is on to complete 56 cold storages at the moment. Once agriculture production goes up and storage capacity increases, the market conditions will stabilise.
• We are also facing problems when it comes to pulses. The prices of dal have skyrocketed.
In the case of pulses, we are a consuming state. We are taking steps to encourage the production of pulses. At the national level, there is a need for a uniform tax structure on pulses. The market prices differ
from place to place. Now the Centre is taking steps in this regard. Once an all-India tax structure comes up for pulses, we can have a control on their prices. However, we are keeping a close watch on the price of pulses and strictly enforce laws to check hoarding and black marketing.
• The public perception is that the bureaucracy rules the state. You have been a minister for one year. Is the perception true?
I have never faced any problem. I can say whatever I want in my two departments, the secretaries have supported me.
• You have launched an Odia daily. Does a politician need a newspaper to protect him?
It is not necessary. I had wanted for the past three decades to own a newspaper. Even before becoming an MLA, I was editing a magazine. I was editing it for nearly 15 years and it was a huge success.
