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The imposing building of the BHU-IT which may soon be converted into an IIT
NEW DELHI: On September 7 the Human Resource Development Minister Mr Kapil Sibal approved a proposal to allow BHU vice-chancellor enjoy the status of co-chairman of the proposed IIT-BHU governing board.
According to sources the minister accepted the BHU demand, over-ruling the MHRD bureaucrats who were reluctant to give Chairman's post to BHU vice-chancellor and instead wanted him to be content with the vice-chairman's post. The tug-of-war over the post was delaying the conversion of the BHU-IT into an IIT.
The minister took the middle path, apparently under pressure from Rahul Gandhi whom the BHU-IT students had been pestering for a long time. Sibal allowed BHU vice-chancellor co-chairman's post, to be created exclusively for the BHU vice-chancellor, thus paving the way for a smooth conversion of the BHU-IT into an IIT.
(Prof. S N Upadhyaya)
According to the Indian Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 each "Institute shall consist of a Chairman, a Director and other members of the Board", thereby leaving no scope for the co-chairman's post.
"For this the Indian Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 will have to be amended", said the source.
The BHU-IT is now scheduled to become India’s 16th IIT and the first that will bear in its name a link to another institution.
The government and BHU will now need to complete a series of bureaucratic and parliamentary procedures before BHU-IT upgrade is official. The MHRD and the university will then need to implement a plan already in place to phase BHU-IT out of BHU and into an independent entity.
The MHRD will first include the name of BHU-IT in the list of new IITs that it has created, but which are still awaiting legal approval under amendments to the Indian Institutes of Technology Act, 1961.
The Centre hopes to introduce the proposed amendments in the next session of Parliament.
Reports from Varanasi said that the news about Kapil Sibal's approval brought cheer on the BHU campus and the faculty was particularly happy about the move. The Director of the BHU-IT Prof S N Upadhyaya welcomes the news and said the decision will boost technical education in the region.
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(if you having troubles, try posting your comment on this page or send an email to chronicle @ itbhuglobal.org)Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221005, UP