Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhilai during a virtual event held in Jammu. He unveiled the newly-constructed buildings of IIT Bhilai and Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kurud and Kawardha.Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai participated in the online inauguration programme from Bhilai IIT, along with several other dignitaries including MP Vijay Baghel, MLAs Doman Lal Korsewada and Lalit Chandrakar, former ministers Prem Prakash Pandey and Ramsheela Sahu, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Bhilai IIT K Venkataramanan, and Director Prof. Rajeev Prakash.

 

CM Vishnu Deo Sai expressed pride in Chhattisgarh as PM Modi dedicated the permanent campus of IIT Bhilai to the nation. He extended congratulations to the IIT Bhilai community for the well-equipped campus. MP Vijay Baghel highlighted the significance of witnessing the dedication ceremony by PM Modi, emphasising it as a significant gift for the youth of the country. Chairman K Venkataramanan and Director Professor Rajiv Prakash also addressed the event. Currently, over one thousand students are enrolled in 11 engineering branches at IIT Bhilai. Classes initially began in the temporary campus at Government Engineering College Raipur in 2016 and transitioned to the permanent campus in Bhilai in August 2023.

 

The construction of the campus commenced on July 8, 2020, after PM Modi laid the foundation stone on June 14, 2018. Spanning 400 acres, the IIT Bhilai campus has received initial funding of Rs 1090 crore 18 lakh from the Union Education Ministry. Lecture halls, seminar rooms, classrooms, and other facilities have been constructed, with many buildings named after prominent rivers and mountains of Chhattisgarh such as Indravati, Sheonath, Kanhar, Mainpat, Gourlata, Sihawa, Palama etc.. The dignitaries who attended the virtual program from Bhilai campus included Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, and Collector Richa Prakash.