The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill to confer the status of Institution of National Importance (INI) on five more Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).
The Bill proposes to bring the five institutions — located in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur — under the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017, similar to the other 15 IIITs established under the scheme through public-private partnership.
These five IIITs, along with the 15 others, will be able to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) or Master of Technology (M.Tech) or Ph.D degrees. The status will also help the institutes attract students required to develop a strong research base in information technology.
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Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhiriyal, replying to a debate, said such institutes had recorded 100% placement. These institutes followed the reservation policy announced by the government, he said, clearing the doubts raised by some MPs.
Ram Kripal Yadav of the BJP underscored the need for opening more such institutes in Bihar.
Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress supported the Bill and urged the government to look into the curriculum of these IIITs to put them on a par with the IITs. The Indian institutes were lagging in hardware education, he said, and it was essential for the country to make its own computers.
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BJD member Bhartruhari Mahtab called for a common syllabus throughout the country and a standard fee structure.
Danish Ali of the BSP sought more funds for research and development, and such an institute in western Uttar Pradesh.