New Delhi: As suggested by a panel headed by Anil Kakodkar to reform IITs into research hubs, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD Ministry) has formed a special committee for the implementation of the reformation plan.
As per sources, this newly formed committee will be headed by Kakodkar and would comprise of Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT-Madras, Chairperson of standing committee of IITs; Devang Khakhar, Director of IIT-Bombay; R K Shevgaonkar, Director of IIT-Delhi; and one more IIT director who will be co-opted later.
In the same context, a senior official of the Ministry said that Kakodkar committee gave a comprehensive report on various issues that need to be considered. However, some recommendations need legislative intervention for which the Institutes of Technology Act would have to be amended. The implementation committee would act as an interface between the Ministry and IITs, he added.
In addition, another official said that the main idea is to bring in the changes gradually. He also said that most of the recommendations of Kakodkar committee's report have been accepted by the IIT Council. He further explained that the report had recommended that IITs should be reformed as primary research institutes.
Moreover, this reformation should ramp up PhD students from less than 1,000 students to 10,000 PhD graduates by 2020-25 and the number of IITs from 15 to 20. The committee also recommended that the government should give an outlay of Rs 1.5 lakh per student to the old IITs, and an endowment grant of Rs 50 crore for each new IIT.
Furthermore, the government was asked to provide capital funds at Rs 20 lakh per additional student. It was also suggested that the Ministry should pay the full operating cost of education along with a scholarship for all post-graduate - PhD, MS and MTech - and undergraduate students from reserved categories and economically weaker sections.
Sources also informed that some of the minor suggestions would be put in place in the next six months. However, issues like change in the administrative and fee structure, IITs' signing annual memorandum of understanding with HRD Ministry, and financial autonomy would need government intervention.
