New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS): The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of a bill in Parliament for empowering the Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM), Kurnool, to award degrees.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the introduction of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which provides for inclusion of IIITDM, Kurnool, along with the other IITs in the Principal Act.

Subsequently, IITDM Kurnool will be declared as an institute of National Importance with the power to award degrees to students, said the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The IIITDM Kurnool will be the fifth member as a centrally-funded Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT).

The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act, 2014, confers the status of Institutions of National Importance on the IIITs and also provides for matters connected with administering them.

The government has also approved creation of a new NIT at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh as embodied in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014. Due to addition of a new IIIT, amendment has to be made in the IIIT Act, 2014.