Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday finalised the appointment of vice-chancellors for 14 state-run universities across the state.
The appointments include Chandi Prasad Nanda as the head of Utkal University, Santosh Kumar Tripathy as the new VC of Fakir Mohan University, and Arka Kumar Das Mohapatra as the VC of Ravenshaw University.
Other prominent varsities receiving new leadership under the directive include Khallikote Unitary University in Berhampur and Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University in Puri.
In a social media post, Kambhampati, who is the chancellor of the universities, said, “As Chancellor, I am also pleased to appoint Vice Chancellors of Dharanidhar University, Gangadhar Meher University, Khallikote Unitary University, Madhusudan Law University, Maa Manikeshwari University, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Rama Devi Women’s University, Rajendra University, Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University, Vikram Dev University, and Odia University.”
“I am confident that under the vision and guidance of these VCs, these universities will continue to excel in education, research, and innovation, shaping the future of higher education in Odisha,” the Odisha Governor said.
The official notification regarding the appointments was released just hours after the opposition BJD threatened state-wide protests regarding the prolonged delay in filling these critical leadership roles at the varsities.
Previously, opposition BJD claimed that the absence of full-time vice-chancellors had led to a state of administrative paralysis within the universities.
The opposition further pointed out that although recruitment advertisements for these positions had been issued approximately nine months ago, the administration had failed to take action until now.
