With budget boost, IIT Patna plans tech park, hostel expansion, faculty hiring

PATNA:The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna plans to focus on key areas such as environmental engineering, electronics engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and critical minerals, while also promoting entrepreneurship and start-ups by utilising its resources, said IIT Patna director TN Singh on Sunday.

This announcement follows finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union budget proposal on Saturday, which outlined plans to expand IIT Patna and develop additional infrastructure.

Established in 2008, IIT Patna is also working to enhance its overall infrastructure. The to-do list includes developing a technological park, providing hostel facilities for around 6,500 students, launching a management program, hiring additional faculty members, and building residential facilities for them.

“It’s a significant step forward for the institution. This will help us expand both in terms of infrastructure and academic offerings in the coming years and create a conducive campus environment,” said Singh.

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Regarding infrastructure development of IIT Patna, the first national institution to be set up in Bihar, Singh said there are plans to expand its hostel capacity to accommodate an additional 6,500 students in phases. “We’re waiting for more details, but it’s a positive development. Currently, we have hostel facilities for about 3,800 students, while around 300 PhD and other students are staying outside due to the lack of infrastructure,” he added.

Singh also highlighted the need to hire more faculty members and build residential facilities for them. “We’ve received approval for a ₹125-crore technological park, which will be jointly funded by the Centre and the state,” he said.

Additionally, the institute plans to build two new academic blocks. “Currently, the electrical and electronics departments, metallurgy and material science, and civil engineering and environmental departments are sharing the same block. To ensure optimal growth, it’s important to provide these departments with separate setups,” Singh explained.

He added that the material science department, in particular, would develop more quickly once it has its own space.

Singh also noted that while IIT Patna had already received approval for a management program, it was put on hold due to insufficient infrastructure. “With the additional infrastructure, we can now launch the program,” he added.

IIT Patna, built on 500 acres of land provided by the Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, ranked 73rd in the 2024 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) overall ranking with a score of 51.24 and 34th in the engineering category. Its students have achieved success and are working with internationally renowned institutions.