The foundation stone for the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kanjikode, Palakkad, will be laid by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar in August.
The decision was taken at a meeting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had with Mr. Javadekar in New Delhi on Wednesday. The IIT currently functions on a temporary campus.
Mr. Vijayan urged the Centre to establish a School of Planning and Architecture in Kerala. Mr. Javadekar told the Chief Minister that a department of architecture would be started at the IIT, Palakkad.
Hostel building for CUK
He also assured Mr. Vijayan that two hostel buildings would be constructed for the Central University of Kerala (CUK) at Kasaragod to provide accommodation for students. One of the hostels would be built using funds from the UGC grant while the other would be funded from the social welfare grant.
Pointing out that it would not be practical to provide accommodation for all the students on the campus, Mr. Javadekar said private hostels would also have to be utilised. He assured the State that adequate funds would be earmarked for the development of the university in the next budget.
