Sonia lays foundation stone of NIFTEM in Haryana

Sonipat, Oct 7 (UNI) UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today laid the foundation stone for the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) in the industrial complex of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) at Kundli in this district.

The institute will be set up over an area of 100 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 246 crore. It's first academic session will commence in 2009 with 430 seats in different courses. It will have a strength of about 240 faculties and other staff.

Cornell University, US, University of California, Davis, US and Wageningen University of Netherlands have been identified for collaboration in different areas with this institute.

The institute will be governed by a Board of Directors and the chairman of the Board would be nominated by the Union Government.

NIFTEM would be an apex information resource centre on aspects of food processing. It would be an apex research and development institute in India in food and breweries and also an apex academic institution in the areas of food technology, entrepreneurship and management for the development, design, updation and standardisation of courses, training programmes, teaching methods and learning material .

In order to achieve its mission, the institute will provide study and research facilities in Bachelor of Food and Technology (30 students, four year course), Master of Food Technology (six specialisations, ten students per specialisation, two year course), Master of Business Administration (30 students , 2 year course), Doctor o Philosophy, Ph D (ten students, three years), Master of Food Technology and Management (20 students, five year course ) and Executive Development Programmes.

The institute will be operational in two years from the start .

A committee consisting of the representatives from the Union Ministry of Food Processing, engineers and architect from Public Works Department and people with experience in development of IT infrastructure will supervise the setting up of the institute.

UNI