IIT-Dharwad gets approval from centre

IIT-D is expected to start functioning from July this year with three courses - computer science, mechanical and electronics -with an intake of 40 students for each course. On Wednesday, the union cabinet gave its ex post facto ('after the facts') approval to the amendment to the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, for the incorporation of new IITs. The approval will bring IIT-Dharwad within the ambit of the act and it will be declared as an institution of national importance. It had been a long pending demand to set up IIT in Karnataka. Finally, when the union government gave a go-ahead last year, there was a scramble among authorities to house the prestigious institution in their cities. Almost every city in the state vied to house the institute and finally, the toss was between Dharwad and Raichur. Chief minister Siddaramaiah expressed his support for an IIT in Raichur. However, the union HRD ministry favoured Dharwad. The move was also followed by protests and agitation in Raichur demanding an IIT there. Another set of protests were held in Dharwad to retain the IIT. There was further confusion when the land approved for the IIT by a team from New Delhi was changed at the last minute by the state government. A different piece of land was allocated for the institute. Another team from the HRD ministry visited Dharwad last week and approved the newly-allocated land. With Wednesday's decision, Karnataka's first IIT is set to function officially from July. Along with IIT-D, new IITs are set to come up at Tirupati (AP), Palakkad (Kerala), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Goa, and Jammu (J&K). The Indian School Of Mines, Dhanbad has also been converted to an IIT under the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961. Source: Bangalore Mirror