LI Network
Published on: 15 September 2023 at 13:05 IST
The Indian government has announced the appointment of chairpersons for nine prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), including the renowned IIT Delhi, where former Solicitor-General (SG) Harish Salve has taken on the role.
The Ministry of Education issued these appointments last month, following the approval of the Visitor, who is none other than the President of India.
Joining Harish Salve in the ranks of newly appointed chairpersons are prominent figures from various fields.
- T.V. Narendran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Steel, is now heading IIT Kharagpur.
- K. Sivan, former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has assumed the role at IIT Indore.
- A.S. Kiran Kumar, former ISRO Chairman, now leads IIT Jodhpur.
- V. Mohan Reddy, Founder and Executive Chairman of Cyient Ltd, is at the helm of IIT Hyderabad.
- Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and Managing Director of ITC Ltd, is the new head of IIT Gandhinagar.
- Adil Siraj Zainulbhai, Chairman of the Capacity Building Commission, takes charge at IIT Ropar.
- Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director of the JSW Group, has assumed leadership at IIT Tirupati.
- Lt Gen. (Retd) Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon is now overseeing operations at IIT Mandi.
As per the Institutes of Technology Act, chairpersons are nominated by the Visitor, and their role is primarily honorary. They preside over meetings of the institute’s Board of Governors (BoG), which is responsible for making significant policy decisions at the IITs.
The chairpersons play a crucial role in ensuring that the BoG’s decisions are effectively implemented.
Harish Salve, in addition to his appointment as IIT Delhi’s chairperson, was recently named a member of the panel tasked with exploring the feasibility of “one nation, one election.” This panel is chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind.