Rourkela, July 25: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Odisha, NIT Rourkela and Rourkela Police signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday, aimed at long-term collaboration in digital policing, outreach activities, IT-based solutions, training, and knowledge exchange.
This MoU marks the first institutional partnership in the state between an academic institute and a police department designed to promote innovation, transparency, and citizen-focused service delivery.
The MoU was signed by NIT Rourkela Director Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao and DIG (western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai in the presence of Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani and NIT Rourkela Registrar Prof. Rohan Dhiman.
The event also marked initiation of an eight-day “Skill Development Programme on Digital Transformation for Police Personnel.” The training programme will end on August 2.
A total of 200 police personnel from Rourkela Police District will undergo training at NIT Rourkela, where they will learn fundamentals of data analytics, digital investigation tools, and technology-enabled policing practices. The programme aims to empower officers with the skills required for efficient and intelligent policing in the digital age.
This MoU builds on the successful launch of Odisha’s first Online FIR system in 2024, developed by NIT Rourkela in collaboration with Rourkela Police. The Anusandhan portal, compliant with BNSS 2023, has already recorded over 6,310 online FIRs.
This strategic collaboration between academia and law enforcement sets a scalable model for smart, AI-ready, and citizen-centric policing in Odisha and beyond.
