Union Cabinet Approves Expansion of Five New IITs; ₹11,828 Crore Sanctioned to Add Over 6,500 Seats
New Delhi, May 7: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the expansion of academic and infrastructure capacity at five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) established in Andhra Pradesh (Tirupati), Kerala (Palakkad), Chhattisgarh (Bhilai), Jammu and Kashmir (Jammu), and Karnataka (Dharwad).
The approval covers Phase-B construction of these institutions and involves a financial outlay of ₹11,828.79 crore spread over four years from 2025-26 to 2028-29.
Alongside infrastructure expansion, the Cabinet also approved the creation of 130 faculty posts at the level of Professor (Level 14 and above).
According to the proposal, student strength at the five IITs will rise significantly from the current 7,111 to 13,687, marking an increase of 6,576 students across undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs. The annual intake is expected to grow progressively, with 1,364 students added in the first year, followed by 1,738 in the second year, 1,767 in the third year, and 1,707 in the fourth year.
The expansion plan also includes the establishment of five state-of-the-art research parks to strengthen industry-academia linkages and promote innovation.
The move is expected to create direct employment through the hiring of faculty, researchers, and administrative staff, while also providing an economic boost to the surrounding areas through increased demand for housing, transport, and services. Officials said the expansion would further fuel India’s innovation and startup ecosystems, contributing to national development.
The decision comes in the backdrop of the 2025-26 Union Budget announcement, which stated that the total number of students in all 23 IITs had doubled from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh over the past decade. These five new IITs began operations from temporary campuses—Palakkad and Tirupati in 2015-16, and Bhilai, Jammu, and Dharwad in 2016-17. All five are now functioning from permanent campuses.
While the IITs are located in specific states, admissions are based on pan-India merit, ensuring that students from across the country benefit from the expansion. The government said this initiative will help bridge educational inequality, enhance social mobility, and strengthen India’s global standing in higher education and research.