Two new IITs to commence academic sessions next fiscal

Monday, 16 February 2009, 22:06 IST
Printer Print Email Email
New Delhi: Two new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will commence academic sessions in 2009-10, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while presenting the interim budget in the Lok Sabha Monday. An ordinance was promulgated for establishing 15 central universities and in addition to this, six new IITs in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Punjab and Gujarat started functioning in 2008-09, he said. Two more IITS, in Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, will commence academic sessions in the next fiscal, Mukherjee said. Additionally, two new Schools of Planning and Architecture at Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh have started functioning, he said. Mukherjee said that out of the six new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) proposed under the 11th Five-Year Plan, four - in Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu - will commence academic sessions in 2009-10. Dwelling on educational loans, the minister said the number of beneficiaries have increased from 319,000 to 1,409,000 between March 31, 2004 and Sep 30, 2008. The amount of loan outstanding too increased from 4,500 crore to 24,260 crore in this period. The minister said that 2008-09 was a "momentous year for secondary education" as several major initiatives including a new centrally-sponsored scheme were launched during the year. Also, the outlay for higher education was increased 900 percent in the 11th Five-Year Plan period.
Source: IANS