Govt okays doubling of IIT fees

New Delhi: The government has approved doubling of fees in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) even though the fee hike at Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) remains unresolved.The HRD Ministry has approved the recommendation of the C N R Rao Committee that the fee for B.Tech and M.Tech courses be raised from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 per annum, ministry sources said.The committee said a hike was necessary for IITs to cope with the rising cost of education and running the Institutes, a view also shared by the ministry.Sources said the new fees structure would be effective from the new academic session.The last fee hike in IITs was effected in 1998 and since the cost of education on account of infrastructure and faculties has gone up, the ministry accepted the fee hike proposal, they said.There are seven IITs at Kharagpur, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kanpur, Guwahati and Roorkee and every year about two lakh students vie for seats in these prestigious institutions.