<p>The Central government has dumped a proposal to pump at least Rs 1000 crore a year into seven top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) for five years to help them boost research and innovation to earn a place among the top 100 world class institutions.<br /><br />The finance ministry’s change of heart came after the premier seven failed to start the ground work for implementing ‘Project Vishwajeet,’ even after a year.<br /><br />The IITs had to motivate a sizeable number of students to take up research and innovation to get the project approved. They were also expected to develop a strong network of alumni, increase their linkage with industry for research and development projects and attract foreign faculty, among the host of other measures.<br /><br />“However, the initiatives taken by the IITs so far failed to pass the muster when the proposed scheme reached the finance ministry for clearance,” official sources told DH.<br /><br />Project Vishwajeet, mooted at the “highest level” of the government, proposed to provide IITs — Kharagpur, Bombay, Kanpur, Madras, Delhi, Guwahati and Roorkee — with a fund of about Rs 8,700 crore over five years to improve their <br />international ranking.<br /><br />The project, as conceived last year, sought to enable these institutes eventually become research hubs and contribute to the country’s development. IIT-Delhi Director V Ram Gopal Rao on Tuesday expressed his “disappointment” with the finance ministry’s resolve in the presence of Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar.<br /><br />“Minister is here. And, I must tell him that we are a little disappointed that Vishwajeet proposal did not go through. This was something that we were looking forward to desperately,” Rao said, urging the HRD ministry to push for clearance.<br /></p>
<p>The Central government has dumped a proposal to pump at least Rs 1000 crore a year into seven top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) for five years to help them boost research and innovation to earn a place among the top 100 world class institutions.<br /><br />The finance ministry’s change of heart came after the premier seven failed to start the ground work for implementing ‘Project Vishwajeet,’ even after a year.<br /><br />The IITs had to motivate a sizeable number of students to take up research and innovation to get the project approved. They were also expected to develop a strong network of alumni, increase their linkage with industry for research and development projects and attract foreign faculty, among the host of other measures.<br /><br />“However, the initiatives taken by the IITs so far failed to pass the muster when the proposed scheme reached the finance ministry for clearance,” official sources told DH.<br /><br />Project Vishwajeet, mooted at the “highest level” of the government, proposed to provide IITs — Kharagpur, Bombay, Kanpur, Madras, Delhi, Guwahati and Roorkee — with a fund of about Rs 8,700 crore over five years to improve their <br />international ranking.<br /><br />The project, as conceived last year, sought to enable these institutes eventually become research hubs and contribute to the country’s development. IIT-Delhi Director V Ram Gopal Rao on Tuesday expressed his “disappointment” with the finance ministry’s resolve in the presence of Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar.<br /><br />“Minister is here. And, I must tell him that we are a little disappointed that Vishwajeet proposal did not go through. This was something that we were looking forward to desperately,” Rao said, urging the HRD ministry to push for clearance.<br /></p>
