New IITs approved by Cabinet | Fusion - WeRIndia

The Union Cabinet yesterday agreed to establish six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). These IITs will be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Jammu. The estimated cost for these IITs will be Rs.1,411.80 crore which would be spent between 2015-16 and 2018-19.

Out of six IITs, two IITs have already commenced classes this year. They are Tirupati IIT in Andhra Pradesh and Palakkad IIT in Kerala. And the remaining IITs are planned to be launched in Karnataka, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chattisgarh.

The operation of these IITs will be performed initially under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 by establishing Societies as per the approval of the Cabinet. They need to get a legal status by later making an amendment in The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 to be incorporated.

Each proposed IIT can give admission to 180 students in the first year. Their number can be increased to 450 in the second year and to 928 in the third year. Out of 928 students, 840 students are Undergraduates, 80 are Postgraduates, and the remaining 8 are Ph.D. students. Furthermore, they will be operated from their temporary premises during these three years. After the initial period, they will be moved to their permanent campuses in the fourth year. For every 10 students, there will be a faculty member.

The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, has no provision to allow the setup of new IITs. An amendment is essential for the establishment of each new IIT, and every new IIT is thus established. To pass the bill in Parliament for making amendments in the IT Act, 1961, regarding the establishment of new IITs, it can take some time. In this context, government has decided to form Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 to operate these new IITs for the academic year 2015-16.

Image Credit: Asad K electro / CC BY-SA 4.0

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IIT_Delhi_Entrance.jpg