May 7:
In a major push to higher education and innovation, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Phase-B expansion of five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) located in Tirupati, Bhilai, Jammu, Dharwad, and Palakkad. The move aims to enhance both academic capacity and infrastructure, with a total outlay of ₹11,828.79 crore for the period 2025–26 to 2028–29.
This expansion will create over 6,500 new student seats, taking the total capacity of these IITs from 7,111 to 13,687 students. Additionally, 130 new faculty positions at the Professor level (Level 14 and above) will be created to meet academic requirements.
As part of the move to promote industry-academia collaboration, five cutting-edge research parks will also be established at these IITs, driving innovation and startup activity in their respective regions.
Key Highlights:
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Student Intake Boost: An increase of 6,576 students over four years across UG, PG, and PhD programs.
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Faculty Recruitment: 130 new professor-level posts to support academic expansion.
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Research Infrastructure: 5 new state-of-the-art research parks to strengthen R&D and tech transfer.
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Nationwide Impact: Though located in five states/UTs, IITs admit students pan-India, ensuring benefits across the country.
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Local Employment: Expansion to generate direct and indirect employment through academic and service sector demand.
This initiative aligns with the 2025-26 Union Budget announcement, which emphasized the doubling of total IIT student strength from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh over the past decade and promised new infrastructure for IITs started after 2014.
With this expansion, the government aims to bolster India’s innovation ecosystem, reduce educational inequality, and create a future-ready skilled workforce, solidifying India’s position as a global leader in technology and research.