New Delhi, March 20 (IANS): The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill that seeks to declare five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) in public-private partnership mode as institutions of national importance along with existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology.

Reply to the debate over the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said the Bill seeks to declare five IIITs set up under the PPP mode in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur as institutions of national importance.

Currently, these institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas.

On being declared institutions of national importance, the five institutes will be granted the power to grant degrees.

The Bill, which was introduced in the lower House on March 4, seeks amendment to the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act, 2014 and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-private Partnership) Act, 2017.

The Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017 declares certain Indian Institutes of Information Technology established under Public-Private Partnership mode as institutions of national importance. Under the Act, 15 institutes are currently incorporated as institutions of national importance.