Cabinet approves Bill for autonomy to two food tech institutes

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved introduction of a bill in Parliament to confer the status of 'Institutions of National Importance' to two food technology institutes. The National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019, would provide for functional autonomy to the two institutes to design and develop courses, undertake research activities and leverage enhanced status in their academic pursuits so that they become world class institutes, an official statement said.

The National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) at Haryana's Kundli and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) at Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur would also be enabled to provide world class teaching and research experience by adopting innovative practices, it said. The two would also implement the government's reservation policy and would also undertake special outreach activities for benefit of the stakeholders concerned.