More wait for aspirants as only 5 IITs and IIMs may start this year

With less than two months to go for the new academic session to commence, it seems that the Central Government may allow only five of the 10 proposed IITs and IIMs, announced in 2014, to start admissions this year. Some of the institutes might start their operations from next year as their campuses are still under construction.

The Human Resource Development Ministry might postpone the launch of proposed IITs in Jammu, Chhattisgarh and Goa and new IIMs in Punjab and Odisha to next year as the respective state governments have not been able to provide land for the permanent campus, as per an Economic Times report.
However, the final decision on whether new IITs in Goa, Jammu and Chhattisgarh and IIMs in Punjab and Odisha can start their academic session this year would be made in next two weeks. "A decision needs to be made soon as the mentor institutes and state governments need time to refurbish the temporary campuses and make other preparations," said an official.
The financial daily tried to speak to some mentor institutes of each of the above IITs and IIMs, but none was willing to comment over the issue.
Many of the IITs, IIMs and central universities were immediately launched from their temporary campuses when the UPA-II government was in power. But, the HRD ministry under Smriti Irani is not ready to take chance and has decided not to give the go-ahead unless the states fulfill the conditions of identifying suitable land for the permanent campus.
Moreover, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government wants to ensure the permanent campus is not in a remote location and is well-connected to an airport and the nearest town or city in the respective states.
"The new institutions announced by the UPA-II are still struggling to move to their permanent campus even five years after they started. Indian Institute of Management Ranchi is an example of that. This would not have happened had the land issues been sorted beforehand. The delay eventually affects an institution’s ability to attract good faculty and also increases the cost of construction," said a ministry official.
Over the last one year, the site selection committee constituted by the ministry has visited each of the 10 states to inspect the sites offered by their state governments. Of these, the panel has finalised and approved the sites for the proposed IITs in Kerala and Andhra and new IIMs in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.
The Centre is not leaving anything to chance. It has circulated a Cabinet note to set up societies for all new IIMs and IITs. The government has allocated 500 crore in 2015-16 for setting up five IITs (Jammu, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Kerala and Andhra) and five IIMs (Odisha, Bihar, Punjab, HP and Maharashtra) announced last year.
(Image: Indiatimes)