Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended the 15th Convocation of the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) in Bhubaneswar on 9 July 2026, joining a high-level gathering that included the Vice President of India, the Governor of Odisha, and two Union Ministers.

Sharing his participation on X, CM Majhi wrote that NISER is not merely an institution of Odisha but a leading centre for scientific research for the entire nation. He noted that the enthusiasm and resolve of the young researchers who graduated today has further energised efforts to establish Odisha as a premier hub of education and research in Eastern India.

Context

The convocation brought together Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Odisha Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan — a rare convergence of constitutional and ministerial authority at a single academic event. The presence of such senior dignitaries underscores the national significance accorded to NISER's annual milestone.

Policy Backdrop

NISER was established in 2007 under the Department of Atomic Energy with the mandate of providing integrated MSc-PhD programmes and fostering advanced scientific research outside major metropolitan centres. Its location in Bhubaneswar was itself a deliberate policy choice to decentralise high-quality STEM education to Eastern India.

The National Education Policy 2020, overseen at the Union level by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan — himself an Odisha MP — has placed renewed emphasis on strengthening research-intensive institutions and expanding science education beyond Delhi and Mumbai. NISER's growth trajectory aligns with this broader national strategy of building domestic research capacity to reduce reliance on foreign universities.

Stakeholders and Impact

The graduating cohort of young researchers represents the most direct beneficiaries of the event. For the Odisha academic community, the convocation is a signal that the state government views institutions like NISER as central to its development vision. CM Majhi's government, in office since June 2024, has publicly committed to leveraging centrally funded institutes to position Odisha as a research destination for Eastern India.

The alignment between the state BJP government and the Union government — visible in the joint attendance of Pradhan and Dr. Jitendra Singh — also reflects the broader centre-state coordination on education and science policy that has characterised the post-2014 political landscape, with a specific focus on non-metro locations in eastern and northeastern India.

What's Next

Observers will watch for concrete follow-through in the form of additional funding allocations for NISER in the next Union Budget or the Odisha state budget, as well as state-level policy measures designed to attract research talent and build industry-academia linkages. CM Majhi's framing of Odisha as the 'purva Bharatara pramukha shiksha o gabeshana kendra' (premier education and research centre of Eastern India) sets a political benchmark against which future budgetary decisions will be measured.