IIIT becomes functional, to offer advanced IT courses

New Delhi, Aug 13 (UNI) The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), an institute offering courses in IT in relation to areas like E-governance, Defence applications, life sciences, technology-led education, finance, automobile engineering, and mobile computing, was formally launched today with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit releasing its admission Brochure for the year 2008-09.

Addressing a press conference organised at Delhi Secretariat, the Chief Minister said the setting up of IIIT in Delhi would give fillip to acceptability of IT, which has ensured transparency and helped in developing a new work culture.

Speaking on the occasion the chairman of the board of directors of IIIT, Delhi and former president of NASSCOM Kiran Karnik said, ''over the years, the technical education system has grown rapidly, but quality and employability of most of the graduates has, of late, become an issue. These inadequacies and growing demand has led to tens of thousands of our young people spending thousands of crores of rupees to get education abroad. It is in response to these needs that the Government has undertaken the bold initiative of setting up the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT Delhi).

This institute will enhance Delhi's position as a major educational hub, and elevate it to world standards.'' To drive this path-breaking initiative, the Delhi government has, through an act, created an institution that can function with full autonomy. Accordingly, it has created an independent, empowered Board that will guide and oversee the setting up and functioning of IIIT-D. The Board is Chaired by Kiran Karnik, a well known and respected personality in IT.

The Institute will have, as founding Director, Prof Pankaj Jalote, who is a globally respected Computer Science Professor from IIT Delhi, with many International books and research papers to his credit. The Board includes Mr Pheroz Vandrevala, Mr R Chandrashekar, Prof S Sadagopan, Prof Ranjit Roy Choudhary and two Principal Secretaries from the Delhi government.

Stating that her government has been giving top priority to promote Information Technology, Ms Dikshit said the Delhi government is committed in helping IIIT-D become a truly world-class institute, one that the whole country can be proud of and one that will attract faculty and students from across the world.

The IIIT-D will begin functioning from this academic year itself, temporarily using facilities provided by the NSIT in Dwarka.

Its permanent campus will come up soon in Okhla. The uniqueness of IIIT Delhi will be its focus on specific domain areas and on software products.

It will be a research-led institute with B Tech, M Tech, and Ph D programmes. Its endeavour will be to prepare its students to innovate and create new products for and from the country.

Though the extra-ordinary growth of the IT industry has resulted in wealth generation and employment for the young, it is some times leading to narrow and uni-dimensional people, and education programmes that can hinder creativity and weaken connections with society.

IIIT Delhi aims to integrate humanities, self-growth, and community work in its educational process, so as to develop socially conscious and better integrated engineers of the highest caliber.

This Institute would soon gain International status.

Secretary (TTE) Dr G Narendra Kumar and Board of Directors of IIIT were also present.

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