IIT Bombay alumni pledge more than ₹35 crore to alma mater to mark silver jubilee

The money pledged through the legacy project will be deployed to a number of projects, largely related to students’ well-being, scholarship programmes for deserving students, upgrade of facilities across hostels

The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) got precious gifts from its alumni on Sunday. The 1993 batch pledged ₹25 crore, a record high, for new facilities at their alma mater; alumni member Mohan Kavrie, MD of Supreme Nonwovens Industries Pvt Ltd, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the institute for the upcoming Alumni Centre and presented a cheque of ₹10 crore; while the class of 1998 pledged ₹1.6 crore this year.

The legacy project is a project adopted by the alumni to mark the silver jubilee of the institute and look for ways to give back to the alma mater.

“Like the past two years, this year too, the money pledged through the legacy project will be deployed to a number of projects, largely related to students’ well-being, scholarship programmes for deserving students, upgrade of facilities across hostels and to support the on-going institute efforts for student counselling, among others,” said a spokesperson for IIT-B.

The legacy project is a project adopted by the alumni to mark the silver jubilee of the institute and look for ways to give back to the alma mater. In the past few years, the silver jubilee batch of the institute has been raising and donating funds to the institute. The 1990 batch had pledged ₹6.5 crore for the faculty, as well as to initiate projects for a cleaner campus. Similarly, the 1991 batch pledged ₹8 crore, whereas the 1992 batch had raised ₹9.4 crore for better facilities and more scholarships.

“The IIT-B alumni have made significant contributions towards the growth of the institute over the years. Our aspiration is to see IIT-B among the top ranks of technical universities in the world and we need continued support from our alumni to realize this dream,” said Devang Khakhar, director, IIT-B.

Another IIT-B alumnus, Pramod Chaudhari, executive chairman, Praj Industries Ltd, presented the final instalment cheque of ₹one crore for the Parimal and Pramod Chaudhari Centre for Learning and Teaching (PPCCLT) at IIT-B.

Amongst those felicitated at the event were three alumni from different batches who were bestowed with the ‘Distinguished Service Awards’ for their contribution in their chosen field as well as working in a sustained manner towards the progress of the institute, whereas six others were given the ‘Chapter Service Awards’, instituted during the Diamond Jubilee Year, for their work with the institute.