Indian Institute of Science Education &Research (IISER), Odisha gets government approval

The Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) at Behrampur in Odisha receives ex post facto approval from the Central government for its formation on 1 August 2016, for the academic year 2016-2017. The approval has come for Berhampur Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

For now, IISER will be established and operated temporarily in a transit campus for the academic year 2016-2017 and for the first three years from 2016-2019. The cost incurred for this is Rs.152.79 crore.

The Union Cabinet on October 27 approved various parameters for the IISER such as approved accepting land, free of cost, from the Odisha government for the institute clearing creation of post of director of the institute in the pay scale of Rs 80,000, introducing National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016 in parliament for including the IISER at Tirupati and Berhampur in the second schedule of National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER) Act, 2007.

The approval took place during the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the idea was put forth during the Union Finance Minister's Budget speech in 2015.

The idea was to multiply the number of IISERs in various locations to meet the need for quality education in science and research. The student population in these institutes are also expected to go up gradually after the establishment and ex post facto recognition.
There are currently IISERs at Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal, Tirupati and Thiruvananthapuram.

The Central government recently introduced the one at Tirupati. Courses such as MS Degree, MS-Ph.D, Ph.D and Post-Doctoral Fellowships are offered in these varsities.