Puri holds the key to India’s future: Why a world-class university is non-negotiable

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, OCTOBER 09, 2025

India is facing an urgent crisis of talent loss. Every year, millions of students leave the country to study at foreign universities, draining billions of rupees from the economy and robbing India of its brightest minds. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of making India self-reliant — “from chip to ship” — he’s calling for a deeper form of Atmanirbharta, one that extends to the very foundation of our nation’s future: education. Intellectual sovereignty, as critical as economic independence, remains elusive as India’s higher education system still depends heavily on foreign institutions. The consequences are costly, both for families and for the nation at large.

Recent decisions by countries like the United States highlight this vulnerability. For instance, the abrupt revocation of Harvard University’s right to admit international students left nearly 800 Indian students stranded. To make matters worse, the introduction of a $100,000 H-1B visa fee has only worsened the situation for Indian professionals. These unpredictable policies expose a grim truth — the futures of our brightest young minds are often at the mercy of foreign political shifts.

For decades, Indian families have been investing their life savings to send children abroad, with ₹67,000 crore leaving the country for foreign education in 2022 alone. Over the past decade, nearly $47 billion has flown out of India, and this trend is showing no sign of slowing. It’s no surprise that lakhs of students choose to study abroad — not just for prestige, but because opportunities at home are limited. However, when tuition fees spike or visa regulations change, it is these families who bear the brunt. The country, too, pays a heavy price in the form of lost talent, diminished potential, and drained resources, as pointed out by Dr. Manas Ranjan Nanda, General Secretary of the Alumni Association of JNU in Odisha.

This is where the vision for a world-class university in Puri, Odisha, becomes critically important. First proposed through the Vedanta University Bill in 2009, this bold initiative was inspired by global educational powerhouses like Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford. But the dream was never realized due to political hurdles and inertia. The Vedanta Waterfront Education City, envisioned as a vibrant academic hub akin to Boston’s Ivy League environment, was expected to serve as a transformative catalyst for Odisha’s growth. With an estimated investment of ₹15,000 crore and the capacity to host over 200,000 students, this project had the potential to revolutionize India’s educational landscape. It would house a multidisciplinary university, advanced research and innovation hubs, a medical school with a cutting-edge hospital, and state-of-the-art sports facilities, to name just a few features. Additionally, the city would offer programs in fields such as artificial intelligence, fintech, green energy, and life sciences — areas critical to India’s future economy. But beyond academia, the vision includes a digital university, world-class convention spaces, cultural centres, auditoriums, recreation hubs, and residential facilities, forming a vibrant, inclusive academic community.

India is a land of immense talent, but what it lacks are institutions that can fully harness and nurture this potential. While states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra have made significant strides in higher education, for a country of 1.4 billion people, the supply is still far from adequate. This is where Puri can play a pivotal role.

The vision of establishing a university there is not just a regional one; it’s a national imperative. Strategically located on India’s eastern coast, rich in culture, and well-connected to domestic and international hubs, Puri presents an ideal setting for an institution that can compete with the world’s finest. If Stanford helped propel Silicon Valley to global prominence, and Singapore has successfully positioned itself as a global educational center, why can’t Puri become India’s intellectual anchor?

A world-class institution in Puri would address the brain drain by offering top-tier opportunities within India itself. It would become a hub of cutting-edge research in biotechnology, nanoscience, agriculture, medicine, and more — all critical to India’s future. The economic ripple effect would be monumental. Just as cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad transformed into IT hubs, the infrastructure, employment, and innovation ecosystem surrounding such a university would reshape Odisha’s economy. Furthermore, it would align with national initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat, Skill India, and Startup India, ensuring that education feeds directly into entrepreneurship and innovation. Instead of watching young talent leave for foreign shores, India could become a magnet for global students, reversing the flow of intellectual capital.

To turn this vision into reality, three key elements are essential. First, a sustained commitment from both the central and state governments to revive and support the Vedanta University project, facilitating smooth progress through coordinated efforts. Second, granting governance autonomy — any world-class institution must operate with academic freedom, transparent administration, and financial independence. India’s success stories with private universities like Ashoka, Jindal, and Azim Premji show that such models work. Third, public-private partnership is critical. The Vedanta University project demonstrated how private initiative can drive innovation, with the state acting as a facilitator, providing infrastructure and policy support. When combined, these elements form a strong foundation for a transformative institution.

India’s future cannot afford to wait as its brightest minds continue to seek opportunities abroad. We missed a historic chance when the Puri vision was first introduced in 2009, but we cannot afford to miss it again. The urgency of this moment is not hypothetical — it is a reality manifest in the struggles of young Indians stranded abroad, in the billions leaving our economy each year, and in the untapped potential of regions like Odisha. If Atmanirbhar Bharat is to be more than just a slogan, education must be its cornerstone. A world-class university in Puri is not merely a regional project — it’s about India asserting control over its intellectual future. It’s about creating institutions that endure, keep our youth rooted at home, and elevate India’s global standing. Every day of delay costs talent, resources, and global credibility. India’s intellectual sovereignty is at stake. History does not offer second chances, and this time, we must act decisively.