NEW DELHI: A bill seeking to declare four IIITs as institutions of national importance and empower them to grant degrees was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

The Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bill, introduced by HRD Minister Smriti Irani, was originally introduced during the UPA regime by her predecessor M M Pallam Raju. But it had lapsed with the completion of the term of the last Lok Sabha.

Significantly, a provision to establish 20 new IIITs under PPP mode has been dropped in the new Bill.

"The Bill seeks to provide the four existing IITs funded by the Central Government independent statutory status with uniform governance structure and policy framework as also to declare them as institutions of national importance and to enable them to grant degree to their students in the academic courses conducted by these institutes," said the statement of object and reasons of the legislation.

The declaration of the IIITs into institutions of national importance was being initiated with a view to provide manpower of global standards for the information technology industry, it said. The four institutes are IIIT Allahabad, IIIT Gwalior, IIIT Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur and IIIT Design and Manufacturing Kancheepuram.

These institutes, which receive grants-in-aid from the government, were sanctioned 649.86 crore during the 11th plan period to meet their recurring and non-recurring expenditure. The legislation would especially prove a boon for students who have complated their programme from IIIT Kancheepuram.

According to the Bill, "Any student who joined classes of the existing institute on or after the academic year 2007-08 or completed the course on or after the academic year 2010-11 shall be deemed to have pursued a course of study in the existing institute located in Kancheepuram only if such a student has not already been awarded degree or diploma for the same course or study."

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