He added that renowned educationalists like Dr. Pranakrushna Parija, Prof. Sriram Chandra Dash, Prof. Manmath Nath Das and many others lifted the glory of Utkal University to a high level. He appealed students to make this university a leading university of the country. He said the state government has decided to covert the campus into a smart, energy efficient and eco-friendly campus. We will also establish a Rural Vocational Training Centre at a cost of Rs 15 crore at Chandikhol, which will act as a rural campus of Utkal University, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is considering setting up a chair in the name of Dr. Pranakrushna Parija and a centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Training in the name of our legendary leader Biju Patnaik.
Other dignitaries graced the occasion were Minister for Higher Education Dr. Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, Law Minister Dr. Arun Kumar Sahoo, Minister for Civil Supplies Sanjay Dasverma, Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Kumar Patsani, MLA Priyadarshi Mishra, BMC Mayor Anant Narayan Jena, Utkal University Students Union Rajesh Raj Swain and Secretary of Union Suryakant Sahoo.