The Hindu Business Line : Institute of Armament Tech to get autonomy, new name

Come April 1, the Pune-based Institute of Armament Technology (IAT) will have a new name, attain autonomous status and will be on course to revamping itself to meet the emerging challenges of the defence forces.

IAT will be re-christened Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT). It will also gain autonomy from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which now runs nearly 50 national institutes across the country.

The Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, Mr M. Natarajan, is expected to formally announce the changes on April 1. The DIAT would be a grants-in-aid institute, supported by DRDO and will have a deemed university status, its Director, Prof. P. Ramachandra Rao, said.

As part of the revamp, the institute will launch two new post-graduate courses in Gas Turbines and Torpedo technology. It already offers eight PG courses in areas such as weapons, lasers, missiles and tanks technology, Dr Rao told Business Line. The institute is also putting up an 10 gigabits per second local area network to improve electronic connectivity on its campus. The IAT was started in 1953 as the institute of armament studies and this would be the second time it is undergoing a change in name.

Prof Rao said the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has been approached for the possible introduction of doctoral programmes, which would be open to DRDO, defence service serving officers etc.

"It is at the exploration stage now," he said. The revamped PG courses would be on the lines of those offered by the Indian Institutes of Technology. Most of the students now are servicing offices of the rank of Major and above.

The institute is also looking at getting the AICTE consent to convert some of its certificate courses into PG degree. These are focussed programmes for Technical Staff Officers in the defence services.

The present IAT also provides a major orientation programme for the new recruits of the DRDO. Annually, the DRDO has been recruiting around 500 new researchers for its different institutes for the last few years, he said.

More Stories on : Security | Education | Andhra Pradesh

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Myanmar okays GAIL plan to buy stake in A-3 Block

Panel for full transfer of property in aviation

CCEA clears Lakhanpur mine expansion

Endorsement for pan masala?

Institute of Armament Tech to get autonomy, new name

Launch at Mazagon