Odisha urges Centre to upgrade BPNSI to university

Bhubaneswar, Nov 18: With India targeting production of 300 mtpa steel by 2025-26, Odisha government has urged the visiting Union Steel Secretary Rakesh Singh to upgrade the existing Biju Patnaik National Steel Institute (BPNSI) into a national university of steel for research.

"The state has submitted its proposal to the Centre in regard to upgradation of the BPNSI into a university long back. Today we will again urge the Steel Secretary to help the state to upgrade this institute," Odisha's Chief Secretary G C Pati told.

Set up at Puri in 2002, BPNSI, an autonomous institute constituted by the Ministry of Steel, is functioning from a rented building and offering a diploma course even though the objective was to adopt a three pronged approach, like education and training, research and development, and consultancy to boost the steel sector.

BPNSI is in a bad state; a state government official said adding the institute presently has a faculty of only three persons.

PTI