NISER Bhubaneswar, India

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to hand over 300 acres of land free of cost for establishment of the National Institute of Science and Education Research (NISER), Higher Education Minister Samir De informed the Assembly on Thursday.

Replying to a question from Ramesh Chandra Chau Pattnaik (BJD), the Minister said that as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced about opening the NISER here during his visit to Orissa in August last year, it is likely to receive the approval of the Union Cabinet soon.

De said the State Government has already identified 325.965 acres of Government land under Jatni tahasil for the Institute and the Revenue Department has been directed to hand over 300 acres of land free of cost to the Institute.

The Minister said that the Department of Atomic Energy has been taking necessary steps to set up the Institute and students would be inducted for the current academic year.

He denied that there has been delay in establishing the Institute in the State and outlined various steps taken by the Government as per the request of the Centre. The General Administration Department has been directed to provide 10 acres of Government land close to the Institute of Physics to set up the NISER campus, he added.

The Government, he further said, has also provided 30 quarters to the NISER for students' hostel and residential houses for the teaching as well as non-teaching staff while another 14 houses in an apartment would be provided to the Institute soon.

The Higher Education Minister said that Rs 841 crore would be invested in the NISER which would induct 40 students in pure science from this academic session.

In response to a supplementary from Bhibhuti Bhusan Harichandan (BJP), De said that the UPA Government has made a provision of rupees two crore this year for undertaking infrastructure development and denied that there has been inordinate delay in setting up of the Institute.