Delhi: May 7: IITs in the states of Andhra Pradesh (IT Tirupati), Kerala (IT Palakkad), Chhattisgarh (IT Bhilai), Jammu & Kashmir (IT Jammu), and Karnataka (HT Dharwad) shall witness major expansion soon. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the expansion of academic and infrastructure capacity (Phase B’ construction) of these five new IITs.
The total cost for the same is Rs Rs.11,828.79 crore over a period of four years from 2025-26 to 2028-29. The Cabinet has also approved the creation of 130 faculty posts (at the level of Professor, i.e., Level 14 & above) in these IITs.
Five new state-of-the-art research parks are also coming up to strengthen industry-academia linkage.
Implementation strategy and targets:
Student strength in these IITs will be increased by more than 6500 in the next four years with the enhancement of 1364 students in the 1st year, 1738 students in the 2nd year, 1767 students in the 3rd year and 1707 students in the 4th year across undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and PhD programmes put together.
Beneficiaries:
On completion of construction, these five IITs shall be able to cater to 13,687 students as against the current student strength of 7,111, i.e., an increase of 6,576 students. With this increase in the total number of seats, an additional more than 6,500 students will now be able to fulfil their aspirations of studying in the most prestigious and sought-after educational institutions in the country. This change will foster nation-building by creating a skilled workforce, driving innovation, and boosting economic growth. It enhances social mobility, reduces educational inequality, and strengthens India’s global position.
Employment Generation:
The hiring of faculty, administrative staff, researchers, and support personnel to manage the increased number of students and facilities will generate direct employment. Also, the expansion of IIT campuses stimulates local economies by generating demand for housing, transportation, and services. The increased number of graduates and postgraduates from IITs further fuels innovation and startup ecosystems, contributing to employment generation across diverse sectors.
States and districts:
These five IITs are situated in the states or UTs of Andhra Pradesh (IIT Tirupati), Kerala (IIT Palakkad), Chhattisgarh (IIT Bhilai), Jammu & Kashmir (IIT Jammu), and Karnataka (IIT Dharwad). However, admission to IITs is on a pan-India basis, and hence this expansion will benefit all states/UTs across the country.
The budget announcement of 2025-26 stated:
‘The total number of students in 23 IITs has increased 100 per cent from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years. We will create additional infrastructure in the five IlTs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more students.
Background:
These five new IlTs had been established in the States/UTs of Andhra Pradesh (IIT Tirupati), Kerala (IIT Palakkad), Chhattisgarh (IIT Bhilai), Jammu & Kashmir (IIT Jammu), and Karnataka (IIT Dharwad). The academic session of the IITs at Palakkad and Tirupati started in 2015-16, and that of the remaining three in 2016-17 from their temporary campuses. These IITs are now functioning from their permanent campuses.
