In a bid to achieve the above, the Vidarbha Economic Development Council (VED) requested Nitin Gadkari to request Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education, Govt. of India, to allot an IIT Powai extension campus to Nagpur, informed Devendra Parekh, President, VED Council. Nitin Gadkari, considering the appropriateness of the plea, has requested Pradhan to consider the same.
“This is a demand that dates far back in VED history, but has not yet materialized, but which, we now hope, will see the light of day”, said Devendra Parekh, President, VED Council.
Nagpur, is the centre of India with very convenient air, road and rail logistics, ideal for locating an educational institution and has several advantages besides, he further stated.
An Extension campus of the IIT Powai, comprising 20-25 acres ,can be established in Nagpur for short-term programmes, upgrading programmes, for diplomas, certificates. There could be, in addition, corporate sponsorships for people wishing to furthering their education here.
An appropriate example is that in addition to the main campus, IIT Kharagpur has three extension campuses, at Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar and Raipur, which would expand its tradition of research and innovation where industry and academia would work hand in hand by fostering entrepreneurship skills by bringing research, development and the industry under a single roof. The extension campuses provide venue for various continuing education programmes and guest-house accommodation.
Similarly, IIT Powai could conceive of an Extension Centre in Nagpur. If realized, it would be a milestone achievement in education. It’s a proposal that the Central Govt. needs to look at, consider and help materialize for the benefit of Vidarbha and the entire central Indian region.
We, the VED Council members, have been working tirelessly towards making Nagpur an iconic education hub for which we pursued diligently the establishing of a few national-level education institutes here, some of which have recently seen the light of day, like the IIM, AIIMS, NLS.
