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For new IITs, govt sets some ground rules — no swimming pool, food court with public money

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New rules say IITs and centrally-funded institutes like NITs must have “smart” classrooms, hostels should have LAN and Wi-Fi facilities.

New Delhi: The Indian Institutes of Technology and other centrally-funded institutes such as NITs may have to generate their own resources if they want to construct swimming pools or food courts on campus, say new building norms set by the human resource development ministry.

The changes are part of a letter that the ministry has sent to all IITs, specifying the guidelines for construction activities with government funds.

HRD ministry officials told ThePrint that these guidelines have been designed to ensure that the infrastructure, being developed in the new IITs, is strictly as per requirement and that no extra facility, which may not be immediately required, is created.


Also read: IIT Indore makes it to top 400 global institutes’ list, IIT Bombay slips in ranking


The matter was discussed at a meeting of the IIT Council, the highest decision-making body for the institutes, in August.

“The standards for construction have been issued by MHRD for developing of campuses and other infrastructure in IITs and all centrally-funded institutes,” said a ministry official.

There are a number of new IIT campuses coming up in Dharwad, Palakkad, Tirupati, Bhilai, Goa and Jammu. The Central government has earmarked Rs 5,000 crore for their construction.

Call for smart classrooms

The letter says all classrooms in these institutions should be “smart” and all hostels, academic blocks and administrative buildings should have LAN and Wi-Fi facilities. The campuses must have 1 Gbps speed internet facility, with fibre optic cables connecting all buildings.

It also stipulates that when the institutes construct a building, whether it is academic or administrative, they have to adhere to the benchmark of 30 sq m per student. For sports and common facilities, the benchmark has been set at 35 sq m per student.

Similarly, land development has to be done in modules of 50 acres. To ensure maintenance of quality and to avoid time and cost overruns, a project monitoring unit has also been constituted by the ministry, which will undertake regular visits to all construction projects and give its recommendations for remedial steps, wherever necessary.

Although these guidelines are meant for all centrally funded institutions, in the immediate context they are applicable to the new IITs and to the existing ones looking to upgrade their facilities.

The negative list

The ministry has also prepared a negative list of work that will not be sanctioned by HRD ministry grants. For instance, institutes cannot use Central government funds to construct swimming pools, shopping complexes, eatery/food courts, stadiums, convention halls with more than 500-seating capacity, ring road in the entire campus and guest house with more than 20 rooms.


Also read: IITs, IIMs to be roped in for speedy assessment of educational institutes: Javadekar


A senior HRD ministry official, however, said that even though the guidelines have been prepared, if some IITs have some issues with them, a committee constituted by the ministry will look into them.

“In case any IIT requires anything above these guidelines, it can be considered with due justification,” the official said.

“The guidelines apply only to the government- or higher education funding agencies (HEFA)-funded projects and would not apply to projects that are implemented by other grants or endowments or under PPP arrangements. These orders will also not apply to construction works for which work order has been awarded.”

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16 COMMENTS

  1. HRD should CLEANUP India first as they are taking money from PUBLIC and publish balance sheet of money vs work done. Then only they can do judge autonomous bodies for explanation. It is PATANJALI YOGA, do things your self first before suggesting for others.

  2. Congratulations to jawedkarji! Please go ahead with such good reforms in spending public money in big institutions like IIT. This money is coming to govt. From tax collected from petrol &diesel.

  3. Infrastructure is one of the basic needs for such institutions. To have a creative thoughts students need a good environment with basic amenities.Who would give them these in the campus? Good variety food for this age is again a need.They need to be healthy too So good health n good mind with clean modern environment are what private institutes give priority to. If our public money is used for enhancing the education rather spending spending for party promotion, we kind of public would be very happy. Please give kids what they deserve.

  4. When a government cannot provide all round of facilities to its top class students, then it should not govern us. A government can give all things at subsidies things to politicians not to student. What a shame to government. You can’t handle a little thousands of students but you can handle big businessman. Shame a big shame. It destroying our country’s talent. A student should be grown in all directions. Whether sports, education, health and extra curricular activities. Why IITs should not have swimming pool. Bas sab kuch netao ko hi chahiye kya…
    Sabse kharab aur Nakaam sarkar. Hona jana kuch h nhi bas rules badalte raho.
    Note: Once I was a student of IIT. And by the end of my graduation we start paying electricity bills which is not happens before 2016. It happens because government reduces huge amount of subsidies to Top institution.
    Aese badhega kya bharat.

  5. The previous HRD Minister increased tution fees to 2 lakhs from 90k, a 122% increase! That was immediately implemented, but the promised Air-conditioning is yet to be implemented.
    It’s interesting to note that in JNU education and hostel fees is less than RS.1000 per annum, yes, per year! That’s almost free and for the kind of antinational activities going on there, our government is using public money to subsidize JNU!
    But for IITs with the best talent in the country, who contributes to India directly from income tax to forex remittances to employment generation to providing technology, we should stop cribbing use of public money, and start on a development mode.
    Or else, we will only be bringing down IITs to the level of government schools and promote JIO type of institutes!

  6. Swimming pool apart most govt engg colleges don’t even have a decent classroom what to talk of smart classes. Lab asst never turns up and teachers don’t guide. Students in college like NSIT( turned to NSUT without any infra) are left to while away time in the soceity and other activities. Teaching and preparation for employability shd start right from first year as practical subjects…nothing being done. IITians don’t stick to India…why is so much focus there….upgrade the state colleges when students can stay locally and study with minimal expenses

  7. I was at IIT Kharagpur from 1964 to 1969. We bought our own bicycles ( our primary and only mode of vehicular transportation ) and all equipment we needed ( slide rules, etc ). We had no computers, lap tops, iPhones, etc ( they had not been invented anywhere including in the USA or Japan, etc ). We had no swimming pool but had adequate sports and other recreational facilities. We did manage to get food at various times ( including late nights ) from various private stores, contractors, etc around the campus, in addition to the main canteen and also the hostel messes and hostel canteens which worked to normal timings. Based on what I know of today’s conditions in 2018 I recommend electric or hydrogen powered bicycles, one laptop and one color printers in each student’s room, a mobile/cell phone for each student and a Scientific Calculator for each student. Loans may be granted for purchase of such items which are expensive ( not for a mobile phone, and not for tuition and room rent which are heavily subsidized by the IITs ). These items suggested by me are a part and parcel of daily life and are today’s necessities not only in the USA and other countries where graduates of the IITs may be headed, but also in India itself.

  8. Maybe BJP wants to have Gurukula like institutions and minimise expenditure on non academic investments. All are interlinked. Guesthouses are required for stay of participants in academic conventions,seminars, etc. Food courts maybe restricted but discipline and schedule are tobe ensured.
    Government is failing to create jobs for IITians with respect to core areas except software. Government must increase its participation by infusing more control on centrally funded institutions.
    Governments are continuously failing to show employment to doctorates. It is not running the society which could create employment to scholars.
    Finally, government wants to do things which will cover it’s inabilities for constructive constructions with such directions to centrally funded institutions.

  9. Compared to the cost of building an IIT
    The cost of building a swimming pool or good eatery place is very small.
    Maintaining these if found expensive can be given to the students.
    Swimming is a good exercise and this facility should be considered for all institutes wherever possible. After working so hard in the classes and labs they need some relaxation and exercise for which swimming is the best. I do not think we should think such things as dropping swimming pools etc. If government can’t fund let them charge partly from the students

  10. They say it’s wastage of public money. What about giving free laptops, cycles, scooters mobiles and waiver of loans at the expense of exchequer , in spite of the fact that children in most of the govt. schools are in need of the basic amenities needed for better education

  11. A terrorist is a terrorist. So what is the value of education here. A bullet fired by a scholar is as effective to kill as fired by anybody. So to mention a criminals qualification is useless.

  12. Such type of facility that show in news article is not provided in nits many nit dont have permanent campus and few nit dont have transportation facilities nd smart classes also not available

  13. I have shared my views. But you are showing it is duplicate. Which one is automatically commented. How do you know that its duplicate.

  14. SWIMMING IS a total exercise for all age group. Did HRD consulted ministry of sports? IITs should not only have learnning institutions but also should be for all round development of students. Eateries are also needed because sometimes they need to have some food in the middle of the night. Can the iit canteens operate 24 hours

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