Source: PRS India & Times of India
The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Key provisions of the bill
- The proposed bill seeks to amend the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act, 2014, and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017.
- The Bill grants statutory status to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology in Public-Private Partnership mode
- The Bill declares five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) set up under Public Private Partnership mode in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur as Institutions of National Importance.
- Currently, these institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas.
Institute of National Importance status
It is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India, an institution which serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state
Significance of the move
- On being declared Institutions of National Importance, the five institutes will be granted the power to grant degrees such as Bachelor of Technology, Master of Technology, and Ph.D.
- It will enable the institutes to attract enough students required to develop a strong research base in the country in the field of information technology
