Speed up process, IIMs, IITs told

The HRD ministry asks the IITs and IIMs to expedite infrastructure upgradation to accommodate additional intake of students resulting from implementation of the 27 pc OBC quota, reports HT Correspondent.

The HRD ministry on Thursday asked the IITs and IIMs to expedite infrastructure upgradation to accommodate additional intake of students resulting from implementation of the 27 per cent OBC quota.

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The IITs have decided to admit nine per cent students from the OBC sector in the coming academic year, whereas the IIMs have decided to admit six to nine per cent OBC students. The directors of the IITs and IIMs said due to financial reasons and time constraints, they may not be able to ensure adequate infrastructure from the next academic session. “We don’t know if the amount of money being provided would be enough for the infrastructure in less than three year’s period,” an IIT director said.

A senior ministry official said the meeting was held to discuss the preparedness and areas that require more attention. The government has asked them to speed up work but some of the directors expressed helplessness in accelerating the work at this stage.

Earlier also, the IITs had said they have a space crunch and other infrastructural problems. Among the seven IITs, the one in Delhi, which is the smallest, is hard pressed with an early deadline to accommodate the increased number of students.

An IIM director said they had presented their case to ministry officials and it was for them to decide how much money they were willing to provide.