15 out of 20 IIITs may grant degrees this year

Set up on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) may get degree-granting powers this year.

The Indian Government is in a hurry to pass an ordinance that will enable these IIITs to give out degrees to its first batch of students passing out this year.

If the ordinance is not passed, this may delay degree granting process, thus, leaving future of the students in balance. IIITs in Vadodara, Kota, Chittoor, Guwahati and Tiruchirappalli to get their degrees this year itself.

As per ET, the human resource development ministry has already moved the ordinance proposal to the law ministry. Once cleared by the law ministry, it will be taken to the Cabinet and then to the President for approval.

Of the 20 IIITs planned to be established on PPP mode, 15 are already functional.

“There has been a lot of pressure since last year to address the issue as job prospects of hundreds of students will be affected in the absence of a proper degree. However, the bill was held up last year amid differences between PMO and HRD ministry over the level of autonomy to the institutes and the need to expedite the legislation,” sources told ET.

The bill introduced in Lok Sabha seeks to declare the 15 IITs on PPP mode as 'Institutions of national Importance' with powers to award degrees. This will entitle them to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) or Master of Technology (MTech) or PhD degree.