New Delhi/Koraput- The Ministry of Education has provided a written reply in the Lok Sabha to an unstarred question raised by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka regarding the status of infrastructure, faculty positions, research output, and reservation compliance at the Central University of Odisha (CUO), Koraput. However, the response has been criticised by the MP as vague and lacking specific data.

In his question, Shri Ulaka sought detailed information on:

1. The infrastructure status of CUO, including permanent campus facilities, hostels, laboratories, libraries, digital infrastructure, and student amenities, along with funds sanctioned and utilised over the last five years.

2. Faculty and non-teaching staff positions, including sanctioned strength, vacancies, and steps to fill them regularly.

3. Assessments of research output, funding, centres of excellence, collaborations, and doctoral enrolment, especially in areas like tribal studies, regional development, and local livelihoods.

4. Compliance with reservation norms for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in admissions, faculty recruitment, and staff appointments.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, in his reply stated that the university has received adequate financial support for its permanent campus development. Over the last five years, ₹609.71 crore was sanctioned as grant-in-aid for construction, against which ₹189 crore has been released by the University Grants Commission (UGC) based on fund utilisation.

The minister noted that academic activities are being conducted using completed infrastructure, including academic blocks, library buildings, hostels, staff quarters, and a guest house. He asserted that the university is not facing difficulties in running its programmes and that measures are taken periodically to strengthen infrastructure, faculty strength, and student facilities.

On staffing, the response described recruitment of faculty and non-teaching staff as a continuous process, governed by the Central Universities Act, 2009, university statutes, ordinances, and applicable rules. It emphasised that CUO is a statutory autonomous institution, with decisions taken by its bodies like the Executive Council, Academic Council, and Court.

Regarding research and other aspects, the reply did not provide specific figures on vacancies, research output, funding details, collaborations, or doctoral enrolments. On reservations, it stated that the university complies with Government of India norms for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EWS in admissions, faculty recruitment, and appointments as per extant rules.

Criticising the response, Saptagiri Ulaka highlighted the absence of concrete data. In a post on X, he wrote: "0 data on faculty vacancies, 0 disclosure on research, labs, hostels, blanket claims on reservation compliance. This is how Govt responds in #Parliament on Central University of Odisha & @EduMinOfIndia from #Odisha. Accountability can’t be replaced by vague assurances. #Koraput"