Lok Sabha passes Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016

Jul 25 The Lok Sabha has passed the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The Bill seeks to set up six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Tirupati, Palakkad, Goa, Dharwad, Bhilai, and Jammu. It also seeks to bring the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad within the ambit of the Act. All these institutions will be declared as institutions of national importance. Earlier moving the bill in the House, Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar sought support of all the members to strengthen the research infrastructure and quality of higher education in the country. He said, the government is focussing on improving the performance of the institutes and quality of education. Initiating the debate, Gourav Gogoi of Congress emphasized the need of paying more attention on the quality of education and research. He said, focus should also be given on setting up of more research parks in the country. He also opposed raising of annual fees for students in IITs. Pralhad Joshi of BJP spoke about improving the quality of education and filling up of the vacant posts in various IITs.