Nagpur: Following the demand made by the Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) Council, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has sent a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan demanding setting up of an extension centre of IIT-Bombay in Nagpur.
Gadkari in his letter stressed that Nagpur is already home to many institutions of national importance like AIIMS, IIM, VNIT, IIIT, MNLU and others. However, there is no facility for the students from the region to study in IIT. It has been brought to my notice that IIT-Kharagpur is having its extension centre in Kolkata. Similarly, the IIT-Bombay’s extension centre could be established in Nagpur for the benefit of students from the region, the Union Minister said.
Gold Rate
Wednesday 19 March 2025
Last month, VED had made an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open a campus of world-renowned Stanford University in MIHAN.
VED President Devendra Parekh said they had been demanding the IIT-Bombay’s centre in Nagpur for a long time, but it was yet not materialized. “We are hopeful that with the Union Minister’s letter, the demand would see the light of the day. An extension campus of IIT, comprising 20-25 acres can be established here for its short-term programmes like diplomas and certificates. There could be, in addition, corporate sponsorships for people wishing to further their education here,” he said.
Quoting the example of IIT-Kharagpur, Parekh said it had three extension campuses in Bhubaneswar and Raipur, besides Kolkata. “It would not only benefit Vidarbha, but entire Central India. The extension campuses provide various continuing education programmes and guest-house accommodation. Nagpur, the centre of India with very convenient air, road and rail logistics, is ideal for locating an educational institution and has several advantages,” Parekh said.
