More IIIT seats to be cut as state fails to release funds

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The Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) is set to cut more IIIT seats as the state government has failed to release the funds allocated in the budget this year.

Even the efforts of IIIT officials to secure a grant of `2,300 crore from the Union HRD ministry to develop the IIITs has not materialised till now.

The RGUKT made it clear that it cannot admit more than 500 students this year unless the state government releases the funds at the earliest to construct buildings and other required infrastructure on the three campuses located in Basar, Nuzividu and Idupulapaya.

The government had already slashed the IIIT seats by half in May this year citing “financial constraints”. The seats in each of the three campuses were brought down from 2,000 to 1,000 affecting the prospects of hundreds of merit students.

The IIITs launched by the late Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhar during the 2008-09 academic year admitted 6,000 students in the first batch with 2,000 seats in each campus. Another 6,000 students were admitted during the 2009-10 academic year. Barring the first year, the IIITs were hit by budgetary cuts every year.

The construction activities in all the three campuses has been stalled as the contractors stopped works due to non-payment of bills. The government already owes `50 crore arrears to the contractors.

AP News, News