6 new Indian Institutes of Technology

The Union Cabinet has approved proposal of setting up of 6 new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country. The 6 new IITs would be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Karnataka. Key facts In its first year, each new IIT will have an initial intake of 180 students and each IIT will have a sanctioned faculty-student ratio of 1:10. In the second year, the intake strength would increase to 450 and subsequently in the third year to 928 (840 Undergraduates, 80 Postgraduates and 8 PhD). Each new IIT would function from temporary campus for the initial period of 3 years and later shift permanent campuses in the 4th year. The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for operationalisation of these new 6 IITs initially by forming of Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. This provision will be mainly to give them legal status till the amendment in The Institutes of Technology (IIT) Act, 1961 is enacted for their incorporation. Background: Currently, IIT Act, 1961 contains no provision to enable establishment of new IITs. So for establishment of every new IIT, enactment of amendment is necessary to the Act from the Parliament.