Rs.3,030 crore investment in Andhra higher education: Irani

Rs 700 cr set aside for IIT Tirupati, where classes have already begun; Rs 870 cr earmarked for IISER, coming up near Tirupati

The central government propose to invest over Rs 3,030 crore in higher education in Andhra Pradesh, Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said on Thursday.

She was speaking after laying the foundation stone of National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district.

An investment of Rs.300 crore would be made in the institute, to be temporarily housed in Vasavi Engineering College premises.

With 480 seats, the NIT will begin classes in the last week of August.

Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary, state ministers, MPs and state legislators attended the function.

Irani said she had laid foundation stones of four institutes of higher learning during the last few months.

She said about Rs 700 crore would be invested in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Tirupati, where classes have already begun.

The minister said Rs 870 crore would be invested in Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), coming up near Tirupati. The classes at the institute began on August 10.

Irani said the Centre would also invest Rs 680 crore in Indian Institute of Management, Visakhapatnam. The classes in IIM would begin next month.

She suggested to students of NIT Tadepalligudem to help infuse technology with agriculture and find new ways of benefiting farmers.

State HRD Minister Ganta Srinivas Rao said the state would get a total of 540 seats, including 60 seats in NIT, Warangal.