Bhubaneswar: Orissa Chief Minister (CM) Naveen Patnaik has opened a campus of International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) at Gothapatna on the outskirts of the Bhubaneswar city in the state. "The state government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to position Orissa as a favoured destination for higher education in our country," said Patnaik. According to the CM, the IIIT-Bhubaneswar should play a constructive role in evolving a positive IT environment. The institute must provide world class environment and hopefully produce talent comparable to the best in our country. I expect IIIT-Bhubaneswar will strive for excellence in all the spheres of activity it pursues. The IIIT-Bhubaneswar, for which the then President Abdul Kalam had laid the foundation stone on November 29, 2006, had been functioning on a temporary basis at the Orissa Computer Applications Centre (OCAC) since February 2008. The permanent campus, spread over 23 acres, is being built with funds provided by the state government. The CM also added, "My government will provide all support necessary to make this institute a centre of excellence. We have already committed to provide 50 crore to build up world class infrastructure and facilities here." Gopal Nayak, Director, IIIT-Bhubaneswar, said that the institute had sought an additional 17 acres of land for meeting residential requirements. He also informed that efforts were on get assistance from the Central government as well as the industry. Stating that Orissa was fast emerging as an educational hub, Patnaik also addressed, "My government has a vision of making Orissa a sanctuary of world class institutes of both learning and research. A number of engineering colleges, business schools, medical institutes, law schools and universities of national and international repute are operational in different parts of Orissa."