Gangadhar Meher College in Sambalpur . Telegraph pictures

Sambalpur, July 7: Students of Gangadhar Meher (GM) Autonomous College don’t have to go outside campus to browse the Internet.

The premier institution has started a Wi-Fi enabled study centre on its premises.

Vice-chancellor of Sambalpur University B.C. Barik today inaugurated the study centre and a computer hub with 70 systems on the occasion of the college’s 70th foundation day.

Students and faculty members will be able to surf the Internet anywhere on the campus free of cost. Those who want to avail the web facilities on their laptops or mobile phones are required to register themselves with the study centre. The college has taken steps to block objectionable websites.

“We have become the only government college in the state to have a Wi-Fi enabled study centre on campus,” said principal of GM College Ganagadhar Mishra.

“One can get relevant study material from the web and exchange information besides developing computer skills. This centre will be very helpful for students and teachers,” said Mishra.

Students, too, have lauded the move. “The college library does not have sufficient study material for us to prepare for UGC’s National Eligibility Test (NET). The Wi-Fi study centre will definitely solve that problem as the Internet is a vast sea of knowledge,” said Prakash Bue, a student.

Apart from the inauguration of the study centre, the college today conferred the prestigious Sikshayak Kula Gaurav Samman on academic Durga Prasad Naik as part of the foundation day celebrations. Forty-four students from several departments of the college were also given gold medals and certificates for academic excellence.

Attending as chief guest, the vice-chancellor of Sambalpur University appealed to students and teachers to aim for excellence in their professional and personal lives. He assured full cooperation in development of the college, which is affiliated with the university.

Established in 1944, GM College offers undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil and pre-doctoral courses besides self-financing and vocational programmes. The institution was declared an autonomous institution in 1991.