Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan laid the foundation for a new academic block and a girls' hostel at IIT Delhi. The Rs. 430 crore projects will add significant infrastructure. He also chaired a roundtable on AI in education.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday laid the foundation stones for the Academic Block-103 and Girls Hostel-50B at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi).
According to the Ministry of Education release, the Academic Block-103, with a built-up area of approximately 5 lakh sq. ft., will be IIT Delhi's first 10-storey academic building, rising to a height of 36.75 metres with two basement levels. The facility will comprise 31 classrooms and lecture theatres, 150 research laboratories, 150 faculty offices, and conference rooms. The building will also house the Educational Technology Services Centre, along with a cafeteria, banking facilities, and other essential amenities.
The New Girls Hostel-50B, with a built-up area of approximately 3.9 lakh sq. ft., is designed in a B+G+12 configuration and will accommodate 1400 students. The hostel will feature double-occupancy rooms with built-in cupboards, study tables, universal charging points, and a dining hall.
These projects are targeting 4-star GRIHA certification and incorporate sustainability features, including rooftop solar panels, passive design strategies, rainwater harvesting systems, landscaped public spaces, and low-VOC materials. The planning and execution of these projects is being undertaken with careful attention to the existing site ecology, ensuring that all trees on the site are preserved and thereby eliminating the need for tree felling permissions. These projects will be executed at a budget of Rs. 430 Crores, supported by various Government of India schemes.
The ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Education, Prof. Rangan Banerjee (Director of IIT Delhi), faculty, staff, and students.
Pradhan Chairs Edtech AI Roundtable
Furthermore, Pradhan chaired an Edtech AI Roundtable with the founders of 10 new-age startups at IIT Delhi. The Roundtable brought together policymakers, academic leaders, and emerging technology entrepreneurs to discuss how AI can be leveraged to transform India's education system, aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
This is part of a series of initiatives by the Ministry of Education to harness the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Roundtable showcased a new generation of Indian edtech startups developing AI-first solutions across K-12 learning, test preparation, upskilling, language learning and skill education, with a focus on students in underserved areas.
Participating Startups
The participating startups included Arivihan, Fermi AI, http://Khare.AI, Seekho, SpeakX, SuperKalam, SuperNova, Vedantu, ConveGenius, and Virohan.
The interaction was organised as a precursor to the upcoming India AI Impact Summit. (ANI)
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