Govt sets up panel under Anil Kakodkar for reforms in IITs

Updated on: Tuesday, October 20, 2009

To bring research to the forefront in the IITs and increase its role in national development projects, the government today set up a committee which will suggest a broad roadmap for the institutes for next ten years.

The five-member committee, to be headed by Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar, will give its report in six months outlining the broad areas of reforms required for the elite institutes to make them global brands.

'They will suggest how the IITs need to move forward. The committee will specify on how to give more emphasis on research and how the IITs can be more involved in the national projects for development,' HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the IIT Council meeting.

He said that the committee will come up with the vision document for 2020 for the IITs. The document will suggest measures on how the IITs can collaborate with private sector in IT, Bio-Tech and other emerging areas.

At present, the IITs are mainly focusing under-graduate level education. The new document will suggest how more students will be interested in research in the IITs and how better faculty will be interested to join the system.

Sibal also said the directors and board members of the IITs will be appointed on the basis of the nominations made by an independent collegium.

The government will also increase the grants to the IITs to promote research, Sibal said. The HRD minister said the norms to attract investment from foreign universities will be changed so that any overseas institute can invest in the IITs in short duration of time.

At present, it takes about three years time under the Foreign Currency Regulation Act for a foreign institute to invest in an Indian institute for research and other collaborations. Sibal said the IIT directors will evolve the Performance Related Incentive Scheme and submit to the government for approval.

Govt sets up panel under Anil Kakodkar for reforms in IITs

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