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Setting up IITs, IIMs in Seemandhra to be tough

Nearly Rs 8,500 cr would be required to set up these institutes in Seemandhra.

Hyderabad: Setting up educational institutions of national repute such as IITs, IIMs in Seemandhra will be a tough task.

Officials say the budgetary allocations being made to the Union human resource development ministry every year as part of the ongoing XII Five-Year-Plan (2012-17) will not be sufficient for the purpose.

The current allocations are not adequate to meet the budgetary needs of existing institutions, which are exploring various options such as increase in fees, and cut in scholarships.

Officials estimate that nearly Rs 8,500 crore would be required to set up these institutes in Seemandhra, and the XII Plan allocations will have to be increased manifold. More than funds, it’s the amount of time that would take to set up these institutions.

For instance, the proposal to set up IIT-Hyderabad was first mooted in 2001 by the then TD government but it took over seven years to materialise in 2008. It is still running from the temporary campus at the Ordinance Factory in Medak. Five years after its inception; the first batch has graduated without seeing the permanent campus.

Though over 500 acres was handed over to IIT in Kandi village in Medak for the permanent campus by 2008, there is not much progress on that front due to paucity of funds. A major chunk of the funds has gone towards operational costs of the temporary campus.

The Japanese government recently came to the rescue by offering a loan of Rs 1,129 crore to develop permanent campus for IIT-H.

As per official estimates, it requires Rs 1,850 crore to set up an IIT, Rs 1,500 crore for NIT, Rs 900 crore for IIM, Rs 1,080 crore for IISER, Rs 3,000 crore for three Central universities and Rs 75 crore for an IIIT in Seemandhra. All this adds up to Rs 8,405 crore.

As against this, the Centre allotted Rs 16,120 crore for higher education in the 2013-14 budget. Out of the Rs 16,120 crore earmarked for higher education this year, Rs 2,220 crore will go to the existing IITs, Rs 331 crore for IIMs and Rs 5,147 crore to the UGC.

This will consume nearly half the funds, leaving just half for Central-funded institutions. This is an increase of just Rs 752 crore over 2012-13.

( Source : dc )
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