Disturbed by Smriti Irani’s Decision, IITian Files Online Petiton: Country Shows Support!

We have read numerous articles across the media regarding the opening up of many new IITs. Though there can be some advantages but the disadvantages outweigh them all. For those who don’t, this is what the picture is: In keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wishes to establish an IIT or IIM in every state of the country, Human Resource Development minister Smriti Irani plans to open eight new IITs across the country soon. Though the country has opposed the notion in unison, but it seems that the minister is still oblivious the voice of the public. Not even just the masses, but the IITians themselves do not support the idea in majority.

A third- year student of agricultural and food engineering from IIT Kharagpur, Digvijay Singh Patil has of late initiated an online petition on the website Change.org, thus disagreeing with the minister’s ideas.

The petition say that at this point in time new IITs are not the immediate need of the education sector in our country. Instead of setting up eight new IITs, he (Digvijay Singh) wants the miniter, Smriti Irani, to focus on facilities and faculties of existing IITs. The current state of many new IITs, which were set up in 2009, which are the newer IITs, is pathetic. In those institutions, many departments don’t even have even faculties.

So far this petition has received about 8, 931 signatures.
Digvijay, who is interning with Nippon KOEI’s research and development centre in Japan for the time being, started the petition two weeks ago, when he has read about the minister’s plans on an online source.

In a telephone conversation with the media from Japan, Digvijay elaborated on the intention of his petition by saying that he spoke to his friends from the newer IITs and they told him about the problems they were facing in those institutions who are supposedly the country’s best. The biggest complaint is the condition of the hostels and campuses in these insttutes. New IITs offer fewer courses and in fact IIT Gandhinagar doesn’t even have a course like computer science and engineering, which is the most sought-after course. And if the campus placements are to be considered, even they are not good in the new IITs, except in Hyderabad and Ropar.”

Digvijay further added that many of these IITs do not even have their own campus and infrastructure right now, which means they are operating from other institutes.

The mechanics behind the petition goes like this- Every time the petition is signed by a person, a notification email is sent to the official id of the HRD ministry. Smriti Irani’s initiative to establish new institutes could require an expenditure of at least Rs.25, 000 crore, which is really disturbing as per the status of current IITs is considered. Till now, the calls and emails to the HRD minister on the matter have gone unanswered.

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