Cabinet approves expansion of academic and infrastructure capacity of 5 IITs

New Delhi [India] May 7 (ANI): The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved expansion of academic and infrastructure capacity of five new Indian Institute of technologies (IlTs) which had been established in Andhra Pradesh , Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka.
These institutions are IIT Tirupati, IIT Palakkad, IIT Bhilai, IIT Jammu, HT Dharwad.
According to the release issued by the Cabinet, the total costs for these projects are Rs11,828.79 crore over a period of four years from 2025-26 to 2028-29.
The Cabinet has also approved creation of 130 faculty posts (at the level of Professor i.e. Level 14 & above) in these IlTs.
Five new state-of-art research parks are also coming up to strengthen industry-academia linkage.
Student strength in these IITs will be increased by more than 6500 in the next four years with enhancement of 1364 students in 1st year, 1738 students in 2nd year, 1767 students in 3rd year and 1707 students in 4th year across Under Graduate (UG), Post Graduate (PG) and PhD program put together.
On completion of construction, these five IITs shall be able to cater 13,687 students as against current student strength of 7,111 i.e. an increase of 6,576 students.
With this increase in the total number of seats, additional more than 6,500 students will now be able to fulfil their aspirations of studying in the most prestigious and sought-after educational institutions in the country.
This will foster nation-building by creating a skilled workforce, driving innovation, and boosting economic growth. It enhances social mobility, reduces educational inequality, and strengthens India's global position.
Direct employment will be generated through the hiring of faculty, administrative staff, researchers, and support personnel to manage the increased number of students and facilities. Also, the expansion of IIT campuses stimulates local economies by generating demand for housing, transportation, and services.
The increased number of graduates and postgraduates from IITs further fuels innovation and startup ecosystems, contributing to employment generation across diverse sectors.
These five IITs are situated in five states and Union territories (UTs), however, admission to IITs, is on pan-India basis and hence this expansion will benefit all states/UTs across the country.
Total number of students in 23 IlTs has increased 100 per cent from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years. Additional infrastructure will be created in the five IlTs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more students, the Cabinet release added. (ANI)