Pitroda may be first chancellor of Vedanta varsity

The proposed Vedanta University is likely to get chairman of the Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda as its first Chancellor, Orissa’s Higher Education minister Debi Prasad Mishra said on Thursday.

While replying a debate on the controversial Vedanta University Bill-2009 in assembly, Mishra said the varsity authorities were in consultation with Pitroda to assume office of the Chancellor of the proposed world-class institution to be set up in Puri district.

Mishra gave this information while some members from the opposition Congress and BJP raised doubts on establishment of the Vedanta university which would be given at least 6,000 acre of valuable land.

Besides Pitroda, the varsity authorities also informed the state government, Mishra said that they had already contacted at least three nobel laureates to join as faculty of the proposed world-class university. The developers of the varsity would invest about Rs 15,000 crore.