PM Narendra Modi to lay foundation of IIIT Guwahati today

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday lay the foundation stone of the campus of Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati (IIITG) during his visit to Assam.

Modi will also address students of IIT, IIITG and students of all central technical institutions in the North-East region.

His address will be transmitted to other institutions though the National Knowledge Network, IIITG Mentor Director Gautam Barua said.

The Assam Governor, Chief Minister, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, state Education Minister Sarat Borkotoky are expected to attend the function.

Modi will also address a BJP youth programme here and a public rally at Kokrajhar today.

BJP sources said Modi will address the youth rally at Khanapara here prior to the IIITG programme.

According to Kokrajhar district administration sources, the PM will begin his first programme in the state at Kokrajhar town.

IIITG is one of the 20 IIITs set up by the central government in NPPP (not-for-profit public private partnership) mode. The campus is located at Sontola Gaon, 4 km from the airport here towards Goalpara, with an area of 70 acres, Barua said.

The institute is operating from its temporary premises in Assam Textile Institute campus at Ambari in Guwahati. Preliminary construction work has started and buildings are expected to be ready by the end of 2017, the Mentor Director said.

IIITG began its operations in August 2013 and now has three undergraduate batches with a total strength of 179 students, the Mentor Director said.

Its partners are central government (57.5 percent funding share), Assam Government (35 percent), Tata Consultancy Services, Oil India Limited, Srei Infrastructure

Finance Ltd and Amtron Ltd (1.875 percent each), Barua added.

PTI