Cabinet clears proposal for enactment of new law

BHUBANESWAR: The State Cabinet cleared the proposal for enactment of a new law for giving non-affiliating university status to the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bhubaneswar. The bill in this regard is likely to be tabled in the winter session of the Assembly beginning  December 9. The State Cabinet had given approval to the proposal to convert the institution to a university on June 9, 2010. However, proposal was referred to the Law Department for vetting as several legal issues cropped up. The proposal was put for Cabinet approval on Saturday after getting clearance from the Law Department. The Institute has been registered as a society in 2006. Its governing body consists of representatives from the State Government, leaders from the IT industry and eminent educationists. IIIT-Bhubaneswar has focus on quality and rigorous education, quality resource, academic infrastructure, technology and innovation. Official sources said the institution will pursue a curriculum of international standards, follow a rigorous process of education delivery and evaluation, innovate and experiment after upgradation of its status. So far, the State Government had provided ` 50 crore for the institution, including ` 18 crore in the 2011-12 budget for infrastructure. Sources said  ` 5 crore more will be provided by the State Government for development of laboratory infrastructure of the institution.