Vedanta University
Encyclopedia
Vedanta University was a proposed, private, multi-disciplinary, co-educational university to be started by Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources
corporation near Puri
-Konark
highway, Orissa
, India
.
n businessman, who heads the London
based Vedanta Resources
corporation and Naveen Patnaik
, the Chief Minister
of Orissa
state in eastern India, had signed a memorandum of understanding to create a world class, multidisciplinary university, Vedanta University. The university, which would be entirely a not-for-profit venture
, was planned to be funded from Agarwal's personal funds Sam Pitroda, the chairman of the Knowledge Commission was the choice of the first chancellor of Vedanta University. Recent reports also suggest that at least three Nobel laureates have been contracted to join the university. In July 2009, the government of Orissa passed a landmark bill to allow the massive university to be set up and function with autonomy.
The three goals of Vedanta University are in the following directions:
and aims to be a peer institution to them in terms of world class research and education.
-Konark
marine drive between Nuanai and Balighai for the proposed Vedanta University.
However the land acquisition for the university has hit a roadblock with the Supreme court ordering a status quo and hence the project has been stayed.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday asked the Anil Agarwal Foundation to stall the construction of the proposed Vedanta University at Puri to address issues related to environmental violations in the project
India Human Rights Report - Quarterly
Land acquisition procedure for Vedanta Illegal - Indian Express
Financial Express
Another Setback to Vedanta
SC Orders status quo on Vedanta University
Vedanta Resources
Vedanta Resources plc is a global mining and metals company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India and also has mining operations in Australia and Zambia. Its main products are copper, zinc, aluminium, lead and iron ore...
corporation near Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
-Konark
Konark
Konark is a small town in Puri district in the state of Orissa, India, on the Bay of Bengal, sixty-five kilometers from Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple , built in black granite by King Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is a World Heritage Site...
highway, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The vision
Anil Agarwal, an IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n businessman, who heads the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based Vedanta Resources
Vedanta Resources
Vedanta Resources plc is a global mining and metals company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India and also has mining operations in Australia and Zambia. Its main products are copper, zinc, aluminium, lead and iron ore...
corporation and Naveen Patnaik
Naveen Patnaik
Naveen Patnaik is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Orissa, India and the chief of Biju Janata Dal, a regional political party in Orissa.-Personal life:...
, the Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
state in eastern India, had signed a memorandum of understanding to create a world class, multidisciplinary university, Vedanta University. The university, which would be entirely a not-for-profit venture
Republic of India non-profit laws
This article describes the various laws related to non profit organisations in India. A Non Profit Organisation can be registered in India as a Society, under the Registrar of Societies or as a Trust, by making a Trust deed...
, was planned to be funded from Agarwal's personal funds Sam Pitroda, the chairman of the Knowledge Commission was the choice of the first chancellor of Vedanta University. Recent reports also suggest that at least three Nobel laureates have been contracted to join the university. In July 2009, the government of Orissa passed a landmark bill to allow the massive university to be set up and function with autonomy.
The three goals of Vedanta University are in the following directions:
- Education: To provide meritorious Indian students access to world class education within India.
- Research: To conduct cutting edge research on globally relevant topics from an Asian-centric perspective.
- Society: To produce tomorrow's leaders, and to promote economic growth in the region.
Academics and research
According to the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the university was being modeled most closely on Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and aims to be a peer institution to them in terms of world class research and education.
Schools and colleges
- EngineeringEngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
- MedicineMedicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
- BusinessBusinessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
- Liberal ArtsLiberal artsThe term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
- Sciences
- LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
- Performing ArtsPerforming artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
Centers of excellence
- Health Sciences
- Manufacturing Sciences
- Agricultural Research
- Rural Economics
- Information & Communication Technology
- Pharmaceutical Research
- Urban PlanningUrban planningUrban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
- NanotechnologyNanotechnologyNanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
- BiotechnologyBiotechnologyBiotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
Campus and township
The foundation has identified 6000 acres (24.3 km²) of land near the PuriPuri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
-Konark
Konark
Konark is a small town in Puri district in the state of Orissa, India, on the Bay of Bengal, sixty-five kilometers from Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple , built in black granite by King Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is a World Heritage Site...
marine drive between Nuanai and Balighai for the proposed Vedanta University.
However the land acquisition for the university has hit a roadblock with the Supreme court ordering a status quo and hence the project has been stayed.
Environmental Violations
Several environmental violations were raised against the university which resulted in cases in the High court and the Supreme Court.Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday asked the Anil Agarwal Foundation to stall the construction of the proposed Vedanta University at Puri to address issues related to environmental violations in the project
Controversies
An academic has questioned whether, given its location and size, Vedanta can achieve its aims of being a leading research university. A rejoinder was also published. Another criticism leveled at the university, by politicians, local academicians, and the farmers currently occupying the proposed site relates to the relatively vast area of the proposed campus and its large student intake,although a few individual opinions differ.High Court Declares University as Illegal and Void
On 16 November 2010, the Orissa High Court declared the land acquisition for the Rs 15,000-crore Vedanta University project in Puri town as illegal and voidIndia Human Rights Report - Quarterly
Land acquisition procedure for Vedanta Illegal - Indian Express
Financial Express
Another Setback to Vedanta
Supreme Court - Status quo on all land acquisition for Vedanta
A couple of months later, the Supreme court of India based in New Delhi ordered a stay or status Quo on all acquisition proceedings.SC Orders status quo on Vedanta University