About
The concept of the IITs was first introduced by a committee led by Shri Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, a prominent Indian industrialist and politician. Sir Jogendra Singh, who was then a Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, Department of Education, Health, and Agriculture, had constituted the ‘Committee for the Development of Higher Technical Institutions in India’ in 1945. Following the Shri Sarkar Committee's recommendations, the first Indian Institute of Technology was established in the year 1950 in Kharagpur. In his report, Shri Sarkar had suggested that such institutes should also be started in different parts of the country. The government, having accepted these recommendations of the Sarkar Committee, decided to establish more Institutes of Technology with the assistance of friendly countries who were prepared to help. The first offer of help came from the USSR, who agreed to collaborate in the establishment of an institute through UNESCO at Bombay. This was followed by the Institutes of Technology at Madras, Kanpur, and Delhi, with collaborations with West Germany, the USA, and the UK, respectively. The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati was established in 1995, and the University of Roorkee was converted into an IIT in 2001. (Source: https://home.iitd.ac.in/about.php)