Setting Up the IITs
The creation of institutions of technical higher education was essential for the development of a skilled workforce in the fields of engineering and technology. The government established the first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur, West Bengal, in 1951. The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, created a unique framework for the funding, administration and academic development of the IITs. Within a decade, four more IITs were established in Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi to meet the growing technological demands of the planned economy.