Bhubaneswar: Amid mounting protests by students, Odisha Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Sunday asserted that the long-standing demand to grant university status to Shailabala Women’s Autonomous College in Cuttack has not been overlooked, even as the state government prioritises districts without universities in the current phase of expansion.
Responding to allegations of “negligence” following the Odisha Budget 2026–27, Suraj said the government remains committed to the phased implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which envisages establishing one university in each of the state’s 30 districts.
“As per NEP 2020, there will be 30 universities across Odisha’s 30 districts, to be implemented in phases. In this year’s budget, priority has been given to districts that currently do not have a university,” the minister said.
His remarks come in the wake of demonstrations by students of Shailabala Women’s Autonomous College after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced plans to set up universities in four districts — Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Jharsuguda — during the current phase.
Students have been demanding that the historic women’s college in Cuttack be upgraded to a university, arguing that the institution has the academic credentials and infrastructure to merit the status.
