The National Design Policy was approved by the Government on 8th February, 2007. The details of the Policy, inter alia, include: Promotion of Indian design through a well-defined and managed regulatory, promotional and institutional framework; Setting up of specialized Design Centres or Innovation Hubs for sectors such as automobile and transportation, jewellery, leather, soft goods, digital products, toys & games which will provide common facilities and enabling tools like rapid product development, high performance visualization, etc. along with enterprise incubation as well as financial support through mechanisms like venture funding, loans and market development assistance for start-up design-led ventures and young designers design firms/houses; Formulation of a scheme for setting up Design Cenres / Innovation Hubs in select locations/Industrial clusters/ backward states, particularly in the North East; Laying special focus on up-gradation of existing design institutes and faculty resources to international standards, particularly the National Institute of design (NID) and its new campuses/ centres with a view to spreading quality education in designs to all regions of India, four more National Institutes of Design on the pattern of NID will be set up in different regions of the country during the 11th Five Year Plan. The possibility of new models for setting up of such institutes, in keeping with the current economic and educational paradigms, will be explored. In this context, the public-private partnership mode could also be an option; Initiation of action to seek Deemed University or University under section 3(f) of the University Grants Commission Act, status for the NIDs, so that they can award degrees of B. Des. and M. Des. instead of just Diplomas as at present; Encouraging the establishment of departments of design in all the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and all the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) as well as in prestigious private sector Colleges of Engineering and Architecture; Preparation of a mechanism for recognizing and awarding industry achievers in creating a brand image for Indian designs though the award of a India Design Mark on designs which satisfy key design criteria like originality, innovation, aesthetic appeal, user-centricity, ergonomic features, safety and Eco-friendliness; Facilitating the establishment of a Chartered Society for Designers, (on the lines of the Institutions of Engineers, the Institution of Architects, the Medical Council, the Bar Council, etc.), to govern the registration of Design Professionals and the various matters relating to standards setting in the profession; Setting up an India Design Council (IDC) with eminent personalities drawn from different walks of life; The implementation status of the Policy is as follows: Sustained increase in Student and Faculty exchange programmes with design and allied Institutions abroad. National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad entered into MoU with 66 Institutes of repute abroad. Design faculty were exposed to international standards of design education by visiting and interacting with Design and related Institutions abroad (121 exposure visits) Class room / studios and infrastructure facilities of the Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bangalore campuses upgraded. Sector specific PG programmes in Design Disciplines introduced and continued. Since 2007, 139 number of foreign students from various countries and 201 number of NID students have studied in foreign institutes under the Students Exchange Programmes. India Design council (IDC), a Society under the aegis of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) was constituted on 02.03.2009 as a mandate of the Policy. IDC has already launched the I-Mark (India Design Mark) and started awarding the same from the year 2012. The National Institute of Design Act, 2014 has come into effect from 18th July 2014 which gives NID the status of Institution of National Importance. It also facilitates NID, Ahmedabad to award degrees of B.Des and M.Des instead of Diplomas to its students. The Cabinet has on 28.02.2014 approved for financial support of Rs.434.00 crore to establish of 4 new NIDs at Jorhat (Assam), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) and Kurukshetra (Haryana). The information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
