Cabinet approval for Bengal engineering varsity takeover

• The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the takeover of the Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) at Shibpur in West Bengal for converting it into an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST).
• The five-year project will be set up at a cost Rs.592.20 crore (Rs.300.30 crore as non-recurring cost towards capital expenditure and Rs.291.90 crore as recurring expenditure).
• The BESU will be turned into the IIEST by amending the National Institutes of Technology (NIT) Act, with the inclusion of special clauses, reflecting its exclusive character. The IIEST will be an 'institute of national importance' covered under the NIT Act and its organisational and governing structure will be on the lines of the National Institutes of Technology (NITs).
• The new IIEST will integrate undergraduate and postgraduate education and research in engineering and science under the same umbrella. It promises to be an institution of international standards and to produce quality manpower for the strategic sector of the country, research laboratories and quality teachers for engineering and science institutions.