IIIT Amendment Bill 2020 Passed, Five Institutes Receive National Importance Status

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Parliament passed a bill on 22 September 2020, that declares five newly established Indian Institute of Information Technology (IITs) as institutions of National Importance. The five new institutes are set up in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur in Public Partnership Mode.

In March 2020, Lok Sabha passed the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Law Amendment bill. The bill was finally introduced on 21 September in the upper house by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the Human Resource Development Minister of India.

#Parliament passes IIIT (Amendment) Bill, 2017 after #RajyaSabha approves it today. pic.twitter.com/25FXbc2d5m
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) August 3, 2017

"We have brought the proposal before this House to bring five new operational institutes which are located and have started operations in Surat (Gujarat), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhagalpur (Bihar), Agartala (Tripura), and Raichur (Karnataka) to bring under this act," Nishank said.

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The education minister stated that there are 25 IITs Colleges in the country, out of which 5 institutes are operating under the central Government and 15 under Private Partnership Mode.

The Institutes will attract enough students to develop a strong research base in the field of Information Technology in the country.

MP Dr Susmita Patra supported the bill by saying "I support his bill on behalf of my party Biju Janata Dal,". BJP MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa thanked the PM and Education minister for introducing the Institute in Agartala in the bill.

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The bill amends the Indian Institute of Information Technology Act 2014 and the Institutes of Information Technology on Public-Private partnership Act of 2017.

The institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and do not have the power to provide degrees or diplomas to the students.

After being declared as Institutes of National Importance, the institutes will receive the power to grant degrees. The 5 newly introduced institutes will be able to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) and Master of Technology (MTech).

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