Deadline to get AICTE approval for B Tech courses extended

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has extended the deadline for institutions which are yet to seek approval for B.Tech courses, a move which may come as a relief to as many as 24 Delhi University colleges.
The deadline which expired on February 20 has been extended till February 27.
"As per the requests received from several institutions and associations, the last date for acceptance of online application with processing fee has been extended till February 27, 2015," an AICTE notification said.
The extension is likely to provide relief to DU which has been facing flak for not seeking timely approval from AICTE for B.Tech courses being offered by its colleges.

The varsity had last week directed the principals concerned to do the needful in this regard, with barely a few days remaining for the deadline.
B.Tech programmes in Computer Science, Electronics, Food Technology, Instrumentation Electronics and Polymer Science were launched as part of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), scrapped last year following UGC intervention.

UGC had, however, directed DU to continue with the five B.Tech programmes but only for students admitted in academic year 2013-2014. It had also asked DU in June last year to seek approval from AICTE but the students and teacher fraternity alleged inaction from the varsity's side to meet the February 20 deadline.

While the varsity's statutory bodies - Academic Council and Executive Council had approached the Vice Chancellor seeking his intervention into the issue, a group of students had also met HRD minister Smriti Irani who had assured them that directions have been issued to the VC to get the AICTE nod at the earliest.
DU authorities, however, denied of having taken a late action and maintained that timely reminders were sent to colleges.