Lack of a regular VC, faculty shortage hit MMU
1
2
3
Bhubaneswar: Shortage of permanent faculty members and non-teaching staff has been plaguing the functioning of Maa Manikeshwari University (MMU) in Kalahandi district since its formation on Sept 1, 2020.
Its academic activities were further crippled after vice-chancellor Sanjay Kumar Satpathy died of cancer in Dec last year.
Now, an associate professor is in-charge VC of the Bhawanipatna-based university, which was carved out from Sambalpur University.
Siba Prasad Adhikary, former VC of Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, said it was strange that an associate professor was given charge of MMU. "When the former VC died, the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, was in force.
As per the Act, the chancellor may appoint any VC of a neighbouring public university as in-charge VC for a period not exceeding one year or until a regular VC joins, whichever is earlier. But it is not the case with MMU," he added.
According to the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2024, a senior-most professor from the university can become in-charge VC. "But Maa Manikeshwari University has a different appointee.
Due to the lack of a regular VC, policy decisions and teacher recruitment cannot be carried out. An in-charge VC can only do routine work," Adhikary said.
As many as 84 out of 112 permanent teaching posts are lying vacant in the university. It does not have a single permanent professor and only two associate professors. There are no permanent non-teaching staff out of the sanctioned strength of 87. A total of 67 guest faculty members are conducting classes.
"Guest faculty cannot guide PhD scholars or conduct teaching and research work like permanent faculty members.
It's not a college now. Stopgap management cannot work in universities," said Himanshu Charan Sarangi, a retired faculty member of the university.
He said quality should be maintained in teaching and research work. "A university cannot function without a professor. Ironically, a professor is not there who can become PG Council Chairman or in-charge VC," he added.
The university is still functioning from the erstwhile college campus in Bhawanipatna. It does not have a second campus for expansion. As the university does not have permanent faculty members in 75% of sanctioned posts, it cannot start new courses or departments.
"It is good to have permanent faculty members to manage the teaching, research and administrative works. As an in-charge VC, I ensure the university work continues smoothly.
We follow the Odisha Universities Act and UGC rules and regulations to make decisions," said Nibedita Nath, in-charge VC.
Higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj recently said they amended the previous Act to bring reforms in higher education and solve the issues created under the previous govt. "The case against the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, stalled the faculty recruitment completely. We will start recruitment of VCs and faculty members soon," he added.
Bhubaneswar: Shortage of permanent faculty members and non-teaching staff has been plaguing the functioning of Maa Manikeshwari University (MMU) in Kalahandi district since its formation on Sept 1, 2020. Its academic activities were further crippled after vice-chancellor Sanjay Kumar Satpathy died of cancer in Dec last year.
Now, an associate professor is in-charge VC of the Bhawanipatna-based university, which was carved out from Sambalpur University.
Siba Prasad Adhikary, former VC of Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, said it was strange that an associate professor was given charge of MMU. "When the former VC died, the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, was in force. As per the Act, the chancellor may appoint any VC of a neighbouring public university as in-charge VC for a period not exceeding one year or until a regular VC joins, whichever is earlier. But it is not the case with MMU," he added.
According to the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2024, a senior-most professor from the university can become in-charge VC. "But Maa Manikeshwari University has a different appointee. Due to the lack of a regular VC, policy decisions and teacher recruitment cannot be carried out. An in-charge VC can only do routine work," Adhikary said.
As many as 84 out of 112 permanent teaching posts are lying vacant in the university.
It does not have a single permanent professor and only two associate professors. There are no permanent non-teaching staff out of the sanctioned strength of 87. A total of 67 guest faculty members are conducting classes. "Guest faculty cannot guide PhD scholars or conduct teaching and research work like permanent faculty members.
It's not a college now. Stopgap management cannot work in universities," said Himanshu Charan Sarangi, a retired faculty member of the university.
He said quality should be maintained in teaching and research work. "A university cannot function without a professor. Ironically, a professor is not there who can become PG Council Chairman or in-charge VC," he added.
The university is still functioning from the erstwhile college campus in Bhawanipatna. It does not have a second campus for expansion. As the university does not have permanent faculty members in 75% of sanctioned posts, it cannot start new courses or departments.
"It is good to have permanent faculty members to manage the teaching, research and administrative works. As an in-charge VC, I ensure the university work continues smoothly. We follow the Odisha Universities Act and UGC rules and regulations to make decisions," said Nibedita Nath, in-charge VC.
Higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj recently said they amended the previous Act to bring reforms in higher education and solve the issues created under the previous govt. "The case against the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, stalled the faculty recruitment completely. We will start recruitment of VCs and faculty members soon," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- Indian Express
All India-Abu Dhabi traffic rights exhausted, time for aviation authorities to explore expansion of bilaterals, says Etihad CEO
The emirate of Abu Dhabi could be the next Gulf territory to approach India seeking an expansion of the bilateral air services agreement as existing traffic rights have been exhausted by Abu Dhabi-based Etihad as well as India's airlines. According to Antonoaldo Neves, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, it is time for aviation authorities of India and Abu Dhabi to initiate discussions on expanding traffic rights, also called bilaterals in aviation parlance. While almost all major Indian airlines fly to Abu Dhabi and share the 50,000 seats per week per direction of the traffic rights among themselves, Etihad is the only carrier from the emirate and accounts for all the 50,000 seats in Abu Dhabi's quota. Till one-and-half years ago, both Eithad and Indian airlines had room available to add seats on India-Abu Dhabi routes. In fact, Indian carriers were together utilising just about 30 per cent of the seat quota at the time, while Etihad was using around 50 per cent, Neves said. But within the last one year, both sides have fully exhausted their respective traffic rights. Currently, there is no discussion between India and Abu Dhabi on expansion of bilaterals. 'We have about 170 flights per week. About one-and-a-half years ago, we were using only half of the bilaterals, but now we're using all the traffic rights, and India too. IndiGo added a lot (of flights), and Akasa (Air) added some. IndiGo now is actually flying from 13 cities into Abu Dhabi…I think now we have all the conditions for starting a discussion again about traffic rights, because it's going to be good for the Indian carriers as well as us,' Neves said. The exhaustion of India-Abu Dhabi traffic rights comes at a time when another UAE carrier Emirates has been urging India to increase seats under the India-Dubai bilateral air services agreement beyond the limit of around 66,000 seats per week per direction, but the Indian government appears to be unwilling to lend an ear. Unlike air services agreements with most countries, India's bilaterals with the UAE are emirate-specific. The Indian government and major Indian carriers like Air India and IndiGo have ambitions to have more direct international connectivity from India and to turn the country into an international aviation hub. A significant number of passengers flying to far-off destinations from India take connecting flights through major global hubs outside the country, Dubai and Doha for instance. India wants its carriers to ramp up wide-body operations, instead of facilitating foreign airlines, particularly Gulf-based carriers with deep pockets, in ferrying passengers—transfer traffic from India—to Europe and beyond via their large hubs. Put simply, increasing seats under bilateral pacts does not sit well with India's grand aviation ambitions. Neves, however, said that the concern that large Gulf carriers like Etihad are taking away a lot of transfer traffic from India was unfounded, and that airlines price seats on the basis of demand and their network. He said that the demand is significant enough to accommodate transfer traffic as well as point-to-point traffic. 'The discussion that people always bring is this is transfer traffic and that is point-to-point. I could argue differently and I could say that I would love to get the point-to-point (traffic) that IndiGo is getting to Abu Dhabi…The flipside of that equation is, if I'm doing only transfer (traffic), I'm giving to IndiGo all the point-to-point traffic. My point is that the discussion about point-to-point versus transfer is just a silly discussion. We don't price like that, we price to demand,' Neves said. Neves also argued that being restrictive on seat quotas amid growing demand was not in the interest of Indian consumers. 'If you regulate, it's the start of the end. Because if you regulate, you go back to the old days where fares were controlled. India today has 200 million passengers because fares are not controlled anymore, that's the only reason. Every time you try to put artificial controls, the market doesn't grow,' he said. While acknowledging that Etihad and possibly even Indian carriers may not have the aircraft capacity currently to add additional seats between India and Abu Dhabi, Neves said that they will have more aircraft in the coming years, and the time is apt for discussions on bilaterals to start. 'I think it should be done at the right time, at the right pace. My load factor today is 88 per cent. If I get more seats in India today, first, I need to cancel other flights to bring the planes here. I don't want to do that…So, my point is it needs to go step by step, so we're not in a hurry, but I think we need a dialogue… Of course, I understand that nobody wants to give 10 times more seats tomorrow. And that's understandable, but there's got to be a staggered approach that is good for everyone. It's impossible that there is none,' Neves said.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Insta row: Kol, Assam cops slap FIR on man who filed plaint; cases also in Delhi
1 2 3 Kolkata/Guwahati: Wazahat Khan Qadri, the man whose FIR led to the arrest of a 22-year-old Instagram influencer and fourth-year law student of a Pune-based university for allegedly hurting religious sentiments in an Instagram video, is "untraceable" since Sunday, a police officer said. Multiple FIRs have been lodged against Qadri in Kolkata, Assam, and Delhi. In Kolkata, an FIR has been lodged at Golf Green PS. KP cyber cell is probing another plaint filed in Garden Reach PS for denigrating Hindu deities. A case has been registered in Assam against Qadri for allegedly denigrating several Hindu deities, including Goddess Kamakhya. Assam Police have not made any official statement regarding the case till now. It was registered at Panbazar police station in Guwahati. Based on his abusive posts, two criminal complaints were also lodged in New Delhi for communal provocation aimed at disturbing social harmony. The Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad also filed a complaint, accusing Khan of mocking Hindu traditions, festivals, and temples to incite communal tensions. Qadri's father, Saadaq Khan, claimed that there was a "witch hunt" for his arrest ever since the Instagrammer's arrest and denied that he hated any religion, suggesting that Qadri's accounts were probably "hacked". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is your accounts payable process optimized? expertinspector Undo "My son is innocent and secular. He cannot insult Hinduism. We have been receiving threats since Sharmistha's arrest," he said. "It has come to light that Khan started deleting several of his controversial social media posts as the student's arrest led to increased scrutiny on his accounts," said a police source. The student was arrested late on May 30 in Gurugram by KP and placed in 14-day judicial custody over a controversial video in which she criticised Muslim Bollywood celebrities for staying silent on 'Operation Sindoor'. According to her lawyer Md Samimuddin, his client is suffering from kidney stones and lacks access to basic amenities, including reading materials and proper hygiene facilities. A petition has been filed seeking to secure her fundamental rights while in custody.
Mint
35 minutes ago
- Mint
Zydus buys Agenus' biologics plants in US for $125 mn, licenses cancer therapy
Zydus Lifesciences announced on Tuesday it is acquiring two biologics contract manufacturing facilities in California from US-based Agenus Inc for a total consideration of up to $125 million. The deal includes an upfront payment of $75 million, with the remaining $50 million to be paid over the following three years. The Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical firm said the acquisition will establish its presence in the rapidly-expanding global biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) sector. Zydus is also acquiring a 5.9% stake in Agenus for $16 million, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Zynext Ventures USA LLC, it said in an exchange filing on Tuesday. The drugmaker has also entered into a licensing agreement with Agenus to commercialise its investigational Botensilimab (BOT) and Balstilimab (BAL) combination therapy in India and Sri Lanka. Agenus is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to developing immune therapies against cancer. The move to acquire biologics manufacturing facilities in the US aligns with Zydus' strategic focus on biologics as a key growth driver this year. Also Read: Glenmark-Ichnos cancer drug shows 74% response in phase-1 trial "The acquisition will give Zydus a strategic foothold in the US for biologics manufacturing in the global hub for biotech innovation, California," managing director Sharvil Patel said in a statement. 'This move strengthens our long-term biologics vision and positions us to better serve the evolving needs of the global biopharmaceutical industry," he added. Additionally, the acquisition gives the company a stronger manufacturing presence in the US, amid ongoing uncertainties over potential American tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. In the company's earnings call last month, Patel had said the company is evaluating opportunities for local manufacturing in the US. 'We have committed to making a good amount of investments in the US with our foray into specialty and other areas," he told investors. Exclusive manufacturer to Agenus Under the terms of the agreement, Zydus will acquire two modern biologics manufacturing facilities from Agenus in Emeryville and Berkeley, California, for an upfront consideration of $75 million and contingent payment of $50 million to be paid over three years subject to achievement of certain revenue milestone. The acquisition provides Zydus immediate access to advanced biologics manufacturing capabilities and a foothold in California, a leading global biotech hub. The move also enables Zydus to 'leverage supply chain dynamics and a favourable geopolitical environment to expand its reach in the U.S. and globally," it said in the release. Also Read: KKR provides $600 mn financing to Manipal Group to fuel its corporate expansion The CDMO business will operate as an independent entity and will house the acquired manufacturing capabilities. As part of the transaction, Zydus will become the exclusive contract manufacturer for Agenus, and provide manufacturing services for the clinical and commercial supply of two identified Phase-3 ready immuno-oncology products - Botensilimab and Balstilimab. Zydus will also have the first right of negotiation to manufacture any of the future pipeline products by Agenus. Agenus reported a turnover of $103.46 million in 2024, according to the exchange filing. Agenus' lead programme comprising Botensilimab and Balstilimab is a next-generation immunotherapy platform designed to strengthen and sustain the immune system's response against tumour cells. The platform, which is currently in advanced clinical trials, has demonstrated significant clinical activity across nine cancer types in more than 1,200 patients, including both late-stage and patients who have undergone neoadjuvant, or primary, therapy. As part of the licensing agreement inked with Agenus, Zydus will be responsible for clinical development and regulatory approvals of the licensed products in India and Sri Lanka and will pay 5% royalty on net sales upon successful approval and commercialization. Also Read: Young heirs take charge as Indian pharma firms plan succession Zydus will expand the reach of the therapy within its initial indications, as well as drive its expansion into other high unmet need indications and earlier lines of treatment, including primary treatments, the company said.
