The MHRD reportedly announced the establishment of IIT Rajasthan in Jodhpur even though the Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh raised a question as though why was Kota not considered for the premier institute. Initially the tug-o-war between the Congress leaders and the BJP was a major hurdle in deciding the location of IIT Rajasthan but politics won and Jodhpur came into picture.
This Institute is temporarily operating from the Mugniram Bangur Memorial (M.B.M ) Engineering college (Jodhpur) until they build a new building for the new IIT in Jodhpur. The acquisition process for the four hundred acres of land that is under private ownership will start soon as said by the institute’s Chief Administrative Mr. Vipin Sharma. On a temporary basis the students opting for the hostel facilities shall be accommodated in the hostel for AIMS. Authorities of Kanpur Institute have left it on the faculty members to decide whether they want to move to IIT Rajasthan or not.
The institute has introduced a 4-year programme in three branches i.e electrical engineering, computer science and mechanical engineering with a strength of 40 students in each branch. For the past two years IIT-Rajasthan has been operating from the campus of IIT-Kanpur and is now finally heading home in june-2010.