State Government okays ‘Deemed to be University’ status for LIT

Staff Reporter

Maharashtra Government has okayed ‘Deemed-to-be-University’ status to Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT). Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis made an announcement to this effect during the presentation of State Budget on Thursday. LIT, which is a conducted college of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), has been striving hard to become a leading institute. With A+, the decks were cleared for the institute to become autonomous. As per rule, once the institute gets A+ grade from NAAC, it becomes eligible to get autonomy. Meanwhile in a public speech, Fadnavis vowed to provide LIT, the Deemed-to-be-University. Basically, LIT had sent the proposal to State Government for getting Unitary Public University status. College of Engineering Pune (COEP) has the status of Unitary Public University or Technological University. But in today’s budget copy it is mentioned that the institute would be provided with the status of Deemed-to-be-University.

According to senior officer with University Grants Commission, State Government is empowered to give the status of Unitary Public University (COEP-like) to the institute within the state if it fulfills certain criterions. But State Government do not have authority to make the institute deemed-to-be-university as the powers lies with Central Government’s Ministry of Education. To get deemed-to-be-university status to any state institute, the respective Government has to apply to Central Government. Unitary Public University has limited area under it the courses of particular speciality can be started. In LIT it can introduce only engineering courses. If it gets deemed-to-be-university status, the LIT can run several courses within campus and outside it, even outside the state also.

Meanwhile the proposal sent by LIT to state Government says, ‘the institute is planning to start 14 new courses. The courses are not necessarily of chemical engineering. They are mostly of emerging trends like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Sciences etc. It has also proposed to start Centre of Excellence and introduce changes suggested in National Education Policy (NEP). It will also start running Incubation Centre. It was for the first time that LIT had gone separately for NAAC inspection. Earlier being one of the conducted colleges of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, LIT was the part of its main institution in NAAC inspection.

The internal quality assurance cell of LIT under the guidance of Dr Raju Mankar, Director has been working hard for the institute to become independent. LIT has been testing itself on various aspects like curricular, teaching learning and evaluation, research, consultancy and extension activities, infrastructure and learning resources, students support and progression, governance, leadership and management, best practices and distinctiveness of LIT.