Patna: Classes have begun at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) branch here with 60 students from different parts of the country joining the course, officials said Tuesday.

"The formal functioning of the NIFT Patna started on time. The classes began on schedule (Aug 4) after an orientation programme held last month," said Sanjay Srivastava, academic head of NIFT Patna.

Out of the 60 students, 30 are pursuing a Bachelors of Design in fashion communication. The rest have signed up for a Masters in Fashion Management.

Srivastava said that faculty members from NIFT in New Delhi, Hyderabad and other campuses were teaching the students here.

The institute will operate out of a temporary campus - a Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority building near Gandhi Maidan in the heart of Patna - this year, until it has a campus of its own.

The Bihar government had last week approved the allocation of Rs.586 million for setting up the NIFT building.

"The amount will be spent on the NIFT's infrastructure, including building and equipment. Of the total amount approved, Rs.270 million will be spent in the current financial year," an institute official said.

In May this year, the cabinet had approved free-of-cost transfer of 10 acres of land from the agriculture department to the industries department for establishing the NIFT branch, which will be the ninth in the country.

NIFT has branches in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.