Panel suggests not to allow new Engineering colleges from 2020

The Panel headed by IIT-Hyderabad chairman B V R Mohan Reddy has suggested All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), not to allow setting up of new Engineering colleges from 2020.

Recommendations of the Panel:

• To stop setting up new colleges from 2020 and review the creation of new capacity every two years after that.
• No additional seats should be approved in traditional engineering areas such as mechanical, electrical, civil and electronics and suggests that institutes should be encouraged to convert current capacity in traditional disciplines to emerging new technologies.
• To introduce undergraduate engineering programmes exclusively for artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics, quantum computing, data sciences, cybersecurity and 3D printing and design.
• The panel has said that concessions should be made for applications already in the pipeline while not allowing new engineering institutes should be set up from 2020.

Reasons for the recommendations:

• Current capacity utilisation in traditional disciplines is just 40% as opposed to 60% seat occupancy in branches such as computer science and engineering, aerospace engineering and mechatronics.
• As per the reports, there were no takers for 51 per cent of the 15.5 lakh B.E/B.Tech seats in 3,291 engineering colleges in 2016-17.

Question:

Q. The Panel headed by IIT-Hyderabad Chairman B V R Mohan Reddy has suggested whom, not to allow setting up of new Engineering colleges from 2020?
a. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
b. All India Committee for Technical Education (AICTE)
c. All India Cabinet for Technical Education (AICTE)
d. All India Organization for Technical Education (AIOTE)