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3 more IITs to be launched this academic session
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NewsByte on 29 May, 2008 02:33:16
 
By PARUL CHANDRA
NEW DELHI
May 29: The Centre seems to have given in to the clamour from states to
"launch" more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) from the 2008-09 academic
session itself.
The Union ministry of human resources development, it is learnt, has given the
nod to another three IITs to begin functioning from 2008-09. These are the IITs
which are to be located in Orissa, Gujarat and Punjab.
So instead of the initial three IITs that were slated to begin functioning from
the forthcoming academic session, the government has now decided to launch
another three. A decision to this effect is reported to have been taken earlier
this week and conveyed to the existing IITs that will act as their mentor
institutes.
The three IITs that were initially expected to begin functioning from 2008-09
are the ones in Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
This brings the total number of IITs to be "launched" during 2008-09 to six —
all of course without the required infrastructure and faculty. A "record", if it
may be described thus, given that the existing seven IITs were launched over a
period of several years.
Whether the standards of "brand IIT" will remain the same is a question that is
being asked by many.
Punjab will have IIT-Delhi as its mentor institute while the one in Gujarat
will have IIT Powai as its mentor. The one in Orissa will be mentored by IIT
Kharagpur. As for the admissions to these three institutes, sources said no
decision has been taken as yet on the numbers that will be admitted to each.
However, they will be admitted on the basis of the joint entrance examination
(JEE) that has already been held and whose results are yet to be announced, said
ministry sources. In the case of the IITs in Bihar, Rajasthan and AP, each will
be admitting 126 students for the 2008-09 session. No decision has been taken
yet on the numbers that will be admitted to the IITs in Orissa, Punjab and
Gujarat.
The six new IITs are part of the eight the UPA government plans to launch
during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-12).
Now, the only two that remain to be "launched" are the ones in Himachal Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh. The one in MP is to be located in Indore.
No decision has been taken as yet on the exact location of the IITs to be set
up in HP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Orissa and Gujarat. While the UPA government may
pat itself on the back for launching six IITs within one year, the picture
isn’t as rosy as it might seem. The news IITs are expected to begin
functioning using the infrastructure and faculty of the existing seven IITs.
This at a time when the existing IITs are grappling with the task of providing
for the additional intake of students necessitated by the implementation of the
OBC quota from 2008-09.