PEC (Chandigarh) May Soon Get IIT Status & Its a Proud Moment

PEC in Chandigarh has been waiting since ages to receive the IIT status for the premier Engineering Institute. Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh which has now been renamed as PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh has initiated the proposal to get the IIT status for PEC in the 1960s. The authorities too have been demanding for long to turn Punjab Engineering College (PEC) into Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and they are still striving for it.

First proposal to get IIT status for PEC (Chandigarh)

Witnessing PEC getting the status of an IIT has been a dream for numerous of its alumnus. The first proposal for this long cherished dream – IIT status for Chandigarh’s PEC University of Technology, was sent to the Centre in by the Punjab government in 1966. The Punjab government was very keen on converting this premier engineering institution to an IIT. It had been reported that Ujjal Singh, the then governor of Punjab, in his budget speech that year, had confirmed the decision of converting PEC into IIT.

The proposal to get IIT status for PEC was accepted in-principle immediately after it was submitted to the government of India. It was anticipated to convert PEC into IIT or an institute of national importance. It was declared that this will be accomplished in the third year of the third five-year plan. The only condition to fulfill this proposal was financial assistance from the Punjab government.

Revival of the proposal to upgrade PEC into an IIT 

The Punjab government decided to continue financing the institute after the conversion to IIT. In 1964 the decision to convert PEC, Chandigarh into IIT in the third year of the third five-year plan was deferred and was taken to the fourth five year plan. It was after a gap of 3 decades that the matter to get IIT status for Chandigarh’s PEC was revived in 1996. Upgradation of PEC into an IIT was revived by the then home secretary Anuradha Gupta. It was after her advice that the Principal, PEC (Chandigarh) submitted a note for the upgrading PEC to a National Institute of Technology (NIT).

Source: Times of India

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Munish Dhiman

Being an enthusiast, adventurer, blogger, writer, food lover, creative and multi-talented chap, Munish Dhiman is full of life and is always ready to take on challenges in life. You may reach Munish at hello@chandigarhmetro.com
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