Mauritius seeks clarifications on MoU with IIT-Delhi

Mauritius has sought clarifications from the Indian government on an MoU signed between it and IIT Delhi in view of HRD Minister Smriti Irani's recent statement questioning the legality of the agreement.
The MoU has been at the centre of a controversy ever since IIT Delhi director R Shevgaonkar tendered his resignation last December.
After there was suspense over his fate for the past five months, the Ministry is now understood to have finally decided to relieve him and send its recommendation to the Visitor soon.
The clarification sought by the Mauritius government about the MoU has been forwarded by the External Affairs Ministry to the HRD Ministry and it has been put up before the Higher Education Secretary, sources said.

Replying to a debate in Parliament on April 27, Irani had sought to blame the previous UPA government, arguing that the MoU as it was in violation of the IIT Act.
"Why such an agreement was signed where commitments were made to set up a campus at (an) international level in violation of the IIT Act by spending India's taxpayers' money? Why did the minister of that time (M M Pallam Raju) did not react," she had said.

Shevgaonkar's stepping down is also being linked to the MoU signed between IIT Delhi and Mauritius Research Council was for setting up an International Institute of Technology Research Academy (IITRA) in the Indian Ocean island nation.

The IIT's board of governors had in March had advised the Ministry to accept Shevgaonkar's resignation. His notice period is set to end by mid-June.
Much of the contention of the MoU was related to the grant of degrees by the new institute.
According to the agreement, IIT would be performing the role of mentoring and hand holding till the new campus is fully functional.
IIT would admit students for the IITRA and award degrees once they successfully complete their research programmes.
Students can pursue courses partly in IIT Delhi and partly in the IITRA.
This arrangement of the IIT awarding the degrees to IITRA students registered with it would continue till 2018. After 2018, the IITRA would award the degrees.