A Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for setting up of six new Indian Institutes of technology (IITs) with total investment of Rs 1,411.80 Crore.
At present, there are 16 IITs in India. The 6 new IITs will come in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu, Kerala and Karnataka.
“The cabinet also gave its approval for operationalization of these IITs initially by forming of Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 to give a legal status to them till the amendment for their incorporation in The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 is enacted,” reads an official statement.
“Each new IIT will have an initial intake of 180 students in its first year, which would increase to 450 in the second year and to 928 (840 undergraduates, 80 post-graduates and 8 Ph.D.) in the third year of their operation,” the statement added.
“The new IITs will be operated from their temporary campuses for the initial period of three years before shifting into their permanent campuses in the 4th year.
Each IIT will have a sanctioned strength of faculty members, with a faculty-student ratio of 1:10. Every new IIT commenced since its enactment has required an amendment to the Act itself.
In light of this, it would be appropriate to establish the new IITs through the formation of Societies as it has not been possible to amend the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 to make provision for establishment of new IITs, before the admissions to academic session 2015-16 in these new IITs,” the statement added.
