Bhubaneswar, April 8 (IANS): Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday urged the central government to set up a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in the state.

Currently there are seven NIPERs across the country and six new institutes are being proposed.

"In order to provide further boost to the availability of highly skilled human resource required for the pharma sector, government of Odisha would also like to have one such institute in the state," Patnaik said in a letter to union minister of chemical and fertilisers Ananth Kumar. 

The six new NIPERs are being proposed at Patna (Hajipur), Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Rai Bareli, Guwahati and Kolkata.

Patnaik said the requisite built up space for the temporary campus of NIPER would be made available and land for construction of a permanent campus would be found. 

The government has also set up a bio-technology park over an area of 64 acres in Bhubaneswar and is in the process of setting up a Pharma Park and a Medical Device Park in Odisha, the chief minister said. 

"Hence, setting up of a NIPER in Odisha would be in the fitness of the overall scheme of development of pharmaceutical sector in this region with a view to training the future teachers, research scientists and professionals for the industry," said the chief minister.