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The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the expansion of academic and infrastructure capacity at five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) � Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, and Dharwad � with a total investment of Rs 118.28 billion to be spent over four years from 2025�26 to 2028�29.The expansion will increase student intake by over 6,500, boosting total capacity from 7,111 to 13,687 students across undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs. The move includes Phase-B construction, enhanced facilities, and the creation of 130 faculty positions at the Professor level (Level 14 and above).To further bolster industry-academia collaboration, five new state-of-the-art research parks will be set up � one at each of the expanding IITs � aimed at promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and industrial research partnerships.The initiative is expected to significantly boost employment through faculty and staff recruitment and indirectly stimulate local economies via increased demand for services and infrastructure. The expansion aligns with the Budget 2025�26 announcement, which noted a 100% rise in total IIT student strength in the last decade � from 65,000 to 135,000—and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening higher education in India.These five IITs, established post-2014 and now operating from their permanent campuses, will play a vital role in enhancing access to quality technical education nationwide and contribute to India’s innovation-driven growth.(PIB)