The
Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Institutes of Information Technology
Public Private Partnership (IIIT PPP) Bill, 2017. The cabinet chaired by the
Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi introduced IIIT PPP Bill 2017 for granting the
statutory status to the fifteen Indian Institutes of Information Technology in
Public Private Partnership and also declared the IIIt’s as Institutions of
National Importance. The approval has been made to make these institution
enable in offering degrees to their students in the academic courses conducted
by them.

There
has been no financial implication made with regard to the proposed IIIT PPP
Bill, 2017. This bill will announce the existence of  Indian
Institutes of Information Technology in Public Private Partnership as ‘Institutions
of National Importance with the authority of awarding the degree. IIIT will now
be entitled to using the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) or
Master of Technology (M.Tech) or PhD degree, which was provided by a University
or Institution of National Importance.

The
provision of providing the formal degree in Information Technology, Engineering
or Ph.D will now improve the prospects of the Graduates in the job market and
also make the institutes able to attract enough students, which are required
for the development of a strong research base in the country in the field of
information technology.  The emerging needs of the industry and the
economy, as a whole for skilled technical manpower, is expected to be met from
the talent pool of trained personnel of the institutes.

Every
Institute shall be open to all – irrespective of gender, caste, creed,
disability, and domicile, and ethnicity, social or economic background.
Academic Session has commenced in the following15 Institutes:-  Karnataka(Dharwad),
Kerala(Kottayam) Maharashtra (Nagpur & Pune), Manipur(Senapati), Andhra
Pradesh(Chittoor), Assam(Guwahati) Gujarat(Vadodara), Haryana(Sonipat),
Himachal Pradesh(Una), Jharkhand(Ranchi), Rajasthan (Kota),
Tamilnadu(Tiruchirappalli), Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow), Kalyani (West Bengal).

Background

The
Scheme of Setting up of 20 new IIITs in Public Private Partnership (IIIT PPP)
as approved by the Union Cabinet on 7.12.2010 does not have provision which
empowers the Institutes set up in Public Private Partnership to grant degrees
to its students. The first batch of under-graduate students enrolled in the
Year 2013-14 will be passing out in the Year 2017. Academic Session has started
in 15 IIITs.