IISER Berhampur to start from 1 August, 2017, with 60 students

The Union Cabinet, under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for the formation of an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) at Berhampur in Odisha. The institute will commence with its academic session 2016-17 from next year - 1 August, 2017.

For the first three years, IISER, Berhampur, will function from a transit or temporary campus, at academic-cum-workshop building of the Government ITI, Berhampur. The Cabinet approved acceptance of the land free of cost from the Odisha government. It also approved the creation of the post of Director of the institute in the pay scale of Rs 80,000 (fixed).

The student strength intake for the first year in the BS-MS course will be 60, which will progressively go up and the cumulative student strength is envisaged as 665 in the 3rd year, including MS Degree, MS-Ph.D, Ph.D and Post-Doctoral Fellowships.

The instituted will be created under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

The total cost of the project for the temporary campus is Rs 152.79 crore. EdCIL, a PSU of Ministry of HRD, Government of India, has been asked to submit a proposal for the preparation of a detailed Project Report for permanent campuses. Thereafter, the process for setting up of the permanent campus will start.

In a communique, the Cabinet added, "Introduction of a Bill, namely, the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016 (Appendix-Ill) in Parliament for inclusion of IISER, Tirupati and IISER, Berhampur in the Second Schedule of National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER) Act, 2007 (29 of 2007) with such modifications/ changes of the drafting and consequential nature as may be considered by the Legislative Department."

Earlier there were five IISERs at Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram. After coming to power, this government started an IISER at Tirupati in 2015. To increase the presence of IISERs in various states and geographical locations, to cater to the need for quality education in science and research, the Union Finance Minister, in his Budget Speech (2015) had announced setting up of an IISER in the State of Odisha.

The Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) have been declared as Institutes of National Importance under the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education & Research (NITSER) Act, 2012. These institutes have been envisaged to carry out research in frontier areas of science and to provide quality science education at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.