2020 – Posted in: Press Information Bureau

Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Cabinet

WHAT

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to confer the status of “Institution of National Importance (INI)” to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).
The cabinet also approved ex-post facto to 21 posts of directors, one each in 20 IIITs (PPP) and one in IIITDM Kurnool (IIIT-CFTI) besides ex-post facto to 21 posts of registrars, one each in 20 IITs (PPP) and one in IIITDM Kurnool (IIT-CFTI).

IMPACT

The Five IIITs in PPP mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur will now be able to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) or Master of Technology (MTech) or PhD degree.
The Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will declare the remaining 5 IIITs-PPP along with the existing 15 IIITs in PPP mode as ‘Institutions of National Importance’ with powers to award degrees.
The bill will also enable the institutes to attract the students to develop a strong research base in the field of information technology.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

IIITs at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur are already functioning as societies registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. They will now be covered under the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017.
IIITDM Kurnool has been established as per the IIIT Act, 2014 and is functioning with the other 4 IIITs namely IIIT Allahabad, IIITM Gwalior, IIITDM Jabalpur, IIITDM Kancheepuram.
The amendment has also formalized the post of Director and Registrar in each of these IIITs. The posts already existed but the current proposal formalizes them without any additional financial outgo.
The IIITs were established to promote higher education and research in Information Technology.
Under the Scheme of Setting up of 20 new IIITs in Public Private Partnership (IIT PPP) mode as approved by the Union Cabinet in 2010, 15 IIITs are already covered by the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017, while remaining 5 IIITs are to be included under the Schedule of the Act.

WAY AHEAD

The IIIT Act of 2014 and IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017 are the unique initiatives of the central government to impart knowledge in the field of Information Technology to provide solutions to the challenges faced by the country.

BACKGROUND

In 2010 the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill 2010 was introduced in Lok Sabha. The bill sought to grants the status of Institutes of National Importance (INI) upon the four IIITs.

Five of IIITs are established, funded and managed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The rest are set up on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

LIST

IIITs Image: Wikipedia

Source: PIB