Corruption allegations cost AICTE dear as Sibal strips power

In another blow to the AICTE’s reputation, the Union Human Resources & Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal taking cognizance to the recent corruption allegations has stripped the All India Council for Technical Education of its power to inspect institutions in order to allow the institutes to increase the number of student for enrolment.

This is further humiliation to the national body that regulates technical education in the country as it is still smarting from the CBI arrest or a senior AICTE member and the investigation of its chairman for corruption.

The HRD minister has ordered that AICTE recognized institutes can increase the student capacity and enroll more students on their own that will be conditional on future inspections.  The decision came supposedly after there were accusations that the council officials delayed granting expansions as means to aid corruption.

Now, the institutes wanting to expand can do so after submitting an application. However, this will be conditional as it leaves the scope for a council team to visit later and based on the outcome of the findings of the team The AICTE can allow the institution can either retain its expanded student number or order it to roll back to earlier levels.