39 posts of IIT, NIT chairmen, directors lying vacant, Lok Sabha told

NEW DELHI: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday told the Lok Sabha that 39 posts of chairman and directors are lying vacant at IITs and NITs and 147 faculty posts are unfilled in centrally-funded IIITs.
“At present, eight posts of chairman at IITs and 21 posts of chairman at NITs are vacant. Further, five posts of directors in IITs and five posts in NITs are vacant. The nomination and selection of chairman and other posts is a continuous process,” he said in a written response to a question.
Pradhan also said yoga training has been included in the ‘Study in India’ programme to encourage learners from abroad and the Maharshi Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratisthan in Ujjain is considering setting up a new academic board for oral vedic traditions with modern subjects. He informed the House that yoga departments have been established in nine central universities.
He further said out of a total sanctioned strength of 410, as many as 147 faculty posts are lying vacant in the centrally-funded Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). “The IIITs have been taking measures to attract quality faculty, which include yearround open advertisements, invitation through search-cum-selection procedures to alumni, scientists, faculty, special recruitment drive, etc,” he told the House. The vacant posts include 28 at IIIT Allahabad, 37 at ABV-IIITM Gwalior, 21 at PDPM-IIIT&M Jabalpur, 50 at IIITD&M Kancheepuram and 11 posts at IIITD&M Kur nool.
On the board for oral vedic traditions, the minister said, “The central government has only two school boards, namely CBSE and NIOS. However, MSRVVP, Ujjain, an autonomous body under the ministry of education, has been given permission for a private board for blended education, including both vedic studies and moder n subjects.”