Parliament today approved a bill that will empower the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) to grant degrees and diplomas, ending uncertainty among the students.
The Footwear Design and Development Institute Bill, 2017 provides for establishing and declaring FDDI as an institute of 'national importance' for promotion and development of quality and excellence in education in this area.
The passage of the bill in Parliament ends uncertainty with regard to the future of students, who were not sure whether they would get a degree or a diploma after passing out from the institute.
Through the bill which was passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote, the government intends to upgrade the FDDI to deal with international standards and address the shortage of trained human resource in the sector.
It had been passed by the Lok Sabha in April.
Commerce and Industry Ministry Nirmala Sitharaman said the institute will have 12 campuses of which seven are functional in different parts of the country.
They will be declared institutions of national importance, she said.
The bill, as per the Statement of Object and Reasons, will "empower the institute to grant degrees, diplomas, certificates, or any other qualification to students of the institute".
Replying to a debate on the Bill, the Minister said the need for the legislation was felt to impart training to youth in the footwear industry which has immense scope.
It is also aimed at correcting the error of transferring this national institute to a private institute in Mewar.
"I am not bringing party politics but the very party which brought the institute in 1986 could not see its importance and from 2012 to 2014 there were uncertainties ....This is to correct their error as youngsters were uncertain of their future," the minister said.
The Minister said it has 2,400 students while its maximum capacity is 8,900.
During her reply, the minister rejected the contention of Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party that the bill was contradictory to the government's policy on animal slaughter.
Yadav said that on the one hand, the government was banning slaughter and cattle movement was restricted, while on the other hand, it speaks of promoting footwear industry.
Responding to this, Sitharaman said, "we are trying to reform" the mistakes and sourcing of leather will be done from regulated, authorised and legal centres.
The Modi government is putting a check on illegal centres of sourcing leather, Sitharaman said.
Participating in the debate, members cutting across the party supported the bill but expressed concern over an atmosphere been created after new norms on cow slaughter and growing attacks by cow vigilantes.
The controversy with regard to the institute dates back to 2015, when the UGC, in September 2014, raised questions against the MoU between FDDI and Mewar University for grant of degree to FDDI students registered for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 in light of the AICTE's non-recognition of these degrees.
In 2016, hundreds of 200 students of FDDI, Noida went on protest demanding degrees instead of diplomas.
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