Mahatma Gandhi National Rural University in 12th Plan Period

Feb 10, 2011

To

The Honorable President of India, Smt Patil
The Honorable Prime Minister, Dr Singh
The Honorable UPA Chairperson, Smt Gandhi
Honorable Minister of Human Resource Development, Sri Sibal
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Dr Ahluwalia
Chairperson, NKC, and Advisor to PM on Infrastructure, Dr Pitroda
The Chief Minister of Odisha, Mr Patnaik
MPs from Odisha
Media

Dear Honorable Sri Sibal,
I thank you for approving 18 model colleges in Ganjam, Gajapati, KBK districts, Kandhamal, Boudh, Bargarh, Deogarh, Nayagarh, Angul, Deknkanal and Keonjhar and in other states across the nation having low GER. This will be a good beginning for quality education in the rural area.

However, for various socially challenged or weak groups, the Union Government of India has been establishing specialized Universities for minority (such as Aligarh Muslim University), tribal (such as Indira Gandhi National Tribal University), Women (under proposal), etc under central university act. On the other hand institutions such as IITs, NITs, AIIMS, IIM, Central Universities, proposed Innovative Universities, etc have been being established towards generating high quality human resource and research in the country.

Majority or most of these high quality institutions are located in either state capital region or large urban area. Despite India has higher percentage of rural than urban population, the number of urban students qualifying into high quality institutions such as IIT, NIT, AIIMS, IIM, IISc, Central Universities etc compared to their rural counterpart clearly shows that the urban population has an upper hand to enter these institutions due to (i) easy access to these institution for reference and guidance, (ii) various available coaching centers in the urban area to train and qualify for the national entrance test, (iii) better awareness and economic condition of urban population to support their children through coaching, and last but not the least (iv) Government apathy towards rural and backward cluster while establishing such high quality institution across the nation.

Due to lack of accessibility, awareness and economic condition, large section of rural populations irrespective of communities are relatively left in void compared to their urban counterparts when it comes to access to quality education, bringing differences in economical conditions and opportunities, which finally encourages large rural migration to urban areas from tribal and backward cluster of India.

Kalahandi is known for rural mass migration, whereas major cities in the nation are getting increasingly populated and polluted due to large rural migration, some of the report claims these rural migrations to urban area in India could be one of the highest in the world. A landmass inhabited by more than 14 laks of people lacks a University. Is not a shame for Indian Democracy? How national integration would work, if periphery like Kalahandi would remain dependent on metropolis in far off place like Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Sambalpur for University education and research? There has been a demand for a University in Kalahandi since more than two decades. Local disappointment is growing when state Govt. denied the Central University opportunity in Kalahandi in the last moment.

Additionally, large part of the nation is rural areas and existing methods and technology applied to solve rural problems is equally non-reliable and inefficient like found to solve urban problem, which justify the need for modern new technology, creativity and innovation to solve rural problem through Rural University.

Due to inadequate & poor quality of human resource generation, social imbalance is increasing in backward clusters of the nation which is encouraging Maoists activities and other social dissidents. This is being growingly witnessed in Kalahandi and neighboring backward cluster since past decade.

Similarly, large part of the rural area, especially backward pockets and cluster in the nation, need quality human resource generation to boost local development by triggering growth of local economy.

Economists also agree investment while establishing National/Central Universities mainly goes to construction sectors which directly boost local economy. Such investment is always given to metro or large urban areas like Bhubaneswar of the country by totally ignoring rural India like Kalahandi, though quality can still be maintained while establishing such institution in rural and backward cluster.

For solving rural problems and generating high quality human resource in the socially backward rural pockets, India should build “National Rural University” in the line of Central or Innovative University in each tribal, backward and economically poor pocket and cluster across the nation.

The father of the nation was a great advocate of rural economy and development; he had visualized and dreamt to develop the nation through rural development programs and rural economy. To begin with, an institution in the name after father of the nation such as “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural University at Kalahandi” could be made in the 12th plan period starting from 2012-13.

The proposed “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural University at Kalahandi” can be established though Governmental initiative or Public Private Partnership (PPP). Since rural economy of backward cluster is in general agriculture and forest based, the economic condition is not lucrative towards establishment of PPP based institutions. Therefore, emphasis can be given to establish such institution though Ministry of Human Resource Development or Ministry of Rural Development or partnership of both the ministries.

Since KBK region is considered as the most backward rural cluster in the nation and Kalahandi is the central location of KBK-Kandhamal, most backward rural pocket of India, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural University (MGNUR) would be established at Kalahandi. Subsequently, the branch or off campus of the proposed University can be established in the other rural pockets and clusters in various other states distributed across the nation.

Anticipating your kind attention in this regard

Thanking you and with best regards

Digambara Patra