Vedanta University is a proposed, private, multi-disciplinary, co-educational university to be started by Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources corporation near Puri-Konark highway, Odisha, India. According to the news reports and as of Sep 2010, the plans of the university was a closed chapter. However, in late April 2015 a revival of the project was initiated; The ex-Chief Secretary of Odisha, Mr. Bijay Patnaik, was hired as the President of the Vedanta University Project to revive this project. The vision Anil Agarwal, an Indian businessman, who heads the London based Vedanta Resources corporation and Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha state in eastern India, had signed a memorandum of understanding to create a world class, multidisciplinary university, Vedanta University. The university, which would be entirely a not-for-profit venture, was planned to be funded from Agarwal's personal funds Sam Pitroda, the chairman of the Knowledge Commission was the choice of the first chancellor of Vedanta University. Recent reports also suggest that at least three Nobel laureates have been contracted to join the university. In July 2009, the government of Orissa passed a landmark bill to allow the massive university to be set up and function with autonomy. Academics and research According to the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the university was being modeled most closely on Stanford University and aims to be a peer institution to Stanford in terms of world-class research and education. Schools and colleges Engineering Medicine Business Liberal Arts Sciences Law Performing Arts Centers of excellence Health Sciences Manufacturing Sciences Agricultural Research Rural Economics Information & Communication Technology Pharmaceutical Research Urban Planning Nanotechnology Biotechnology Campus and township The foundation has identified of land near the Puri-Konark marine drive between Nuanai and Balighai for the proposed Vedanta University. However the land acquisition for the university has hit a roadblock with the Supreme court ordering a status quo and hence the project has been stayed. Environmental violations Several environmental violations were raised against the university which resulted in cases in the High court and the Supreme Court. In May 2010, Government of India asked the Anil Agarwal Foundation to stall the construction of the proposed Vedanta University at Puri to address issues related to environmental violations in the project. Controversies An academic has questioned whether, given its location and size, Vedanta can achieve its aims of being a leading research university. A rejoinder was also published. Another criticism leveled at the university,