Four IITs to get Rs. 456 crore from HRD ministry
What's the story
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has earmarked Rs. 456.10 crore for four IITs for development projects.
IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Madras, and IIT-Bombay will receive Rs. 151.19 crore, Rs. 105 crore, Rs. 103.41 crore and Rs. 96.5 crore respectively.
The funding was approved on the basis of proposals submitted by these IITs for augmentation of infrastructure and facilities.
The grants have already been sanctioned.
Twitter Post
The HRD ministry's announcement of the funding
HRD Minister @PrakashJavdekar approves one-time additional funding (capital) of Rs. 456.10 Crore to four IITs : @iitmadras, @IITKgp, @iitbombay, @iitdelhi . The funding is for lab infrastructure, equipment, etc.#TransformingEducation #QualityEducation #NewIndia pic.twitter.com/Y8mVml2Bqu
— Ministry of HRD (@HRDMinistry) January 25, 2018
IIT-KGP
IIT-Kharagpur director talks about development plans
A big chunk of the funding has been earmarked for lab infrastructure, and equipments.
IIT Kharagpur's director, Partha Pratim Chakrabarti said that the Institute would use the funds for "world-class laboratories, high-end equipment to conduct cutting-edge research".
Chakrabarti also said that the institute had already drawn up detailed plans on how to utilize the funds.
Infrastructure
World-class infrastructure would attract world-class talent
Chakrabarti said that state-of-the art facilities and infrastructure in the campus would attract talented young academicians and post-doctoral fellows from around the world.
IIT-Kharagpur, already, has blueprints in place for getting world-class equipment in technological convergence areas like affordable healthcare, cloud computing, manufacturing, smart infrastructure, transportation, etc.
The institute is also looking to upgrade its Central Research facility for research work.
Student benefits
IIT-KGP is also committed towards student welfare
A significant section of the funds will be utilized for boosting students' innovation projects and challenge grants.
IIT-KGP is also looking improve amenities for students and has earmarked Rs. 10 crore for infrastructure and sports amenities. It has also started crowd-sourced campaigns for promoting students' welfare activities.
The institute is also looking to undertake a housing project for accommodating international faculty and post-doctoral fellows.