Lok Sabha passes IIIT Bill; students to get degrees now

New Delhi, Nov 27: A bill to bring four institutes of information technology under the ambit of a single authority and help students get degrees were passed in the Lok Sabha.

The Indian Institutes of Information and Technology (IIIT) Bill, 2014, is the first education bill passed by the new government which was formed on May 26 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

HRD Minister Smriti Irani said the students passing from these institutes will now get degrees, and the government would take make all efforts to attract the best of faculties.

Replying to members' comments on the autonomy of these institutes, Irani said: "The governance structure of these institutes will be like that of the IITs and NITs which were based on the Central Universities Act as passed by Parliament. So questioning the structure would be like questioning Parliament's wisdom".

The four institutes are IIIT-Allahabad, IIIT-Gwalior, IIIT Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur and IIIT Design and Manufacturing Kancheepuram. The Act will give these institutions independent status with uniform policy framework.

The declaration of the IIITs as institutions of national importance was being initiated with a view to providing manpower of global standards for the information technology industry, the bill said.

On the appointment of faculty, Irani said: "We have taken many steps to strengthen faculty of these institutes. It will be through systematic, open advertisement."

PTI