Is NIT Rourkela worth being ranked as 2nd best NIT (as per MHRD Rankings 2017)?

Currently, NIT Rourkela is ranked as the 3rd best NIT after NIT Trichy and NIT Karnataka as per the MHRD rankings 2023. Now, before determining if NIT Rourkela is worth being ranked so highly, we need to know what criteria make up an MHRD ranking 

• Infrastructure : NIT Rourkela has a huge and serene campus with some of the best campus facilities. It’s said to have the best infrastructure among other engineering colleges.
• Curriculum: Most national institutes have a similar curriculum where the branch-specific courses are introduced from the 2nd year. NIT Rourkela's curriculum may not be the best but is certainly well-structured.
• Research papers : NIT Rourkela has an active research culture and has produced almost an equal number of papers and a thesis like IITKGP. This is one of the major reasons for its high rankings.
• Numbers of courses: NIT Rourkela has a diverse range of courses from several BTech programs to PhD programs. 
• Placements: This is where NIT Rourkela has to step back because of its poor location. 

So yes, NIT Rourkela very much deserves the high ranking it gets considering its excellent infrastructure, curriculum, and research opportunities.