The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are a group of engineering and technology colleges established in 1950. They are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, and are considered Institutes of National Importance. There are currently twenty-three IITs in India, each with autonomy but connected through the IIT Council overseen by the Minister of Education.
IIT Roorkee was established in 1847 and later converted into an Indian Institute of Technology in 2001. It is located in Uttarakhand.
IIT BHU was established in 1919 through the merger of Banaras Engineering College, College of Technology, and College of Mining and Metallurgy, eventually forming the Institute of Technology (IT-BHU).
The Indian School of Mines and Applied Geology at Dhanbad was established on December 9, 1926, by Viceroy Lord Irwin, later becoming IIT Dhanbad in 2016.
Ardeshir Dalal, an eminent administrator and industrialist, conceptualized technological institutes in 1944 to train a skilled technological workforce in India. His vision laid the foundation for the establishment of the Indian Institutes of Technology.
Sir Ardeshir Dalal from the Viceroy's Executive Council foresaw the importance of technology for India's future prosperity after World War II. He conceptualized institutes to train technical workforce within the country, laying the foundation for the Indian Institutes of Technology.
In 1946, a committee was set to consider setting up Higher Technical Institutions for post-war Industrial Development in India.
The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was established in May 1950 at the site of Hijli Detention Camp in Kharagpur, India. Initially starting its operations in Kolkata, it later shifted to Kharagpur in September 1950. The institute was formally inaugurated on 18 August 1951.
IIT Kharagpur, the first Indian Institute of Technology, was inaugurated on August 18, 1951, in West Bengal. It was established in a former detention camp for political prisoners of the Indian freedom movement.
Since 1953, there has been a significant emigration of IIT graduates to the United States, with nearly twenty-five thousand settling there. Critics argue that the US benefited from subsidized education in IITs at the expense of Indian taxpayers.
On 15 September 1956, the Parliament of India passed an act declaring the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) as an Institute of National Importance. This recognition solidified the status of IIT Kharagpur as a premier educational institution in India.
IIT Bombay was established in 1958 in Maharashtra.
IIT Madras was established in 1959 with technical and financial assistance from the former government of West Germany. It is one of the eight prestigious public institutes in India.
The Institute of Technology Act, passed as Act Number 59 of 1961, granted legal status and degree-granting powers to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), declaring them as Institutes of National Importance.
In the tenth meeting of IIT Council in 1972, a proposal was made to convert the then IT-BHU into an IIT. However, due to political reasons, the conversion could not be achieved at that time.
In 1994, IIT Guwahati became the sixth IIT in India, expanding the reach of technical education to the northeastern region of the country. It aimed to cater to the growing demand for skilled technical professionals.
The academic program at IIT Guwahati began in 1995 after being established by an Act of Parliament in 1994. It is the sixth Indian Institute of Technology established in India.
In 1998, the first batch of students was accepted into the Master of Technology program at IIT Guwahati through GATE.
On 21 September 2001, an ordinance issued by the Government of India declared the College of Civil Engineering as the seventh Indian Institute of Technology in the country and changed its name to IIT Roorkee.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced plans to create more IITs by upgrading existing academic institutions with promise and potential.
In 2006, the IIT-JEE format was restructured following criticisms of the examination process and the pressure faced by students in the Indian community.
IIT Bhubaneswar was founded on August 15, 2007, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of India's independence. The then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, declared the expansion of the IIT system in the country.
IIT Ropar was established in 2008 by the MHRD. Classes for the academic session 2008–2009 were initially held at IIT Delhi before the institute started functioning from its transit campus at Rupnagar from 1 August 2009.
On 17 February 2009, the foundation stone of IIT Indore was laid at its permanent campus located in Simrol, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The institute initially operated under the guidance of IIT Bombay in a temporary campus at the Institute of Engineering and Technology of Devi Ahilya University from 2009 to 2010.
The foundation stone of IIT Mandi was laid on 24 February 2009. IIT Mandi is located in the Kamand Valley of Mandi city in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. The first batch of 97 students was admitted in July 2009 and classes began on 27 July 2009 at the Advisory IIT, IIT Roorkee.
The Gujarat High Court responded to a Public Interest Litigation by the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, advocating for the inclusion of Gujarati language in IIT-JEE exams. This action was taken to address the concerns of students who primarily speak regional languages.
The Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University was officially converted into an Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi after the necessary amendments to the Institutes of Technology Act 1961. The transformation process was completed with the approval of the Central Government.
On June 29, 2012, IIT (BHU) Varanasi was established by an Act of Parliament, transforming the over 100-year-old institute founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
ISM was selected by the National Development Council to be converted into an IIT in the 12th Five Year Plan.
Union Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley proposed to upgrade ISM Dhanbad into an Indian Institute of Technology during his budget speech in Parliament.
IIT Palakkad, located in Palakkad, Kerala, started its first academic session on 3 August 2015 with 120 students.
IIT Bhilai was inaugurated on 7 August 2016 in Chhattisgarh. The institute started its operations from its transit campus located at Government Engineering College (GEC) in Sejbahar, Raipur, inducting the first batch of students in the same year.
The president of India signed the IIT Amendment Bill 2016, converting ISM Dhanbad into Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad.
IIT Dharwad, located in Karnataka, was formally inaugurated on 28 August 2016. It is known as India's first green and smart IIT, emphasizing sustainability and technology.
The change to the objective pattern of questioning in IIT-JEE led to an increase in students registering for coaching classes, despite the initial intention to reduce dependence on them. Some critics, especially IIT graduates, argue that the new pattern may compromise the quality of students by not emphasizing the application of fundamentals.
The permanent campus of IIT Bhubaneswar located at Argul in Khordha district was officially opened by the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on December 24, 2018.
India and Tanzania announced the establishment of the first foreign IIT campus on the Tanzanian autonomous territory of Zanzibar, as a satellite campus of IIT Madras.
The blog post discusses the history, establishment, and transformation timeline of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in India. It highlights the significance of IITs in promoting excellence in engineering and technology education and research.