VIT to start new university in Amaravati

Speaking to reporters after the launch of VIT Fashion Institute of Technology (V-FIT) at the University’s Chennai campus on Saturday, VIT Chancellor Dr G Viswanathan said that the Andhra Pradesh state cabinet has decided to allot 200 acres of land to VIT and once the university gets orders from Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), construction of the campus would start. 

“The AP Chief Minister, N. Chadrababu Naidu, wants us to have it as a comprehensive university with courses in engineering, medicine and other sectors. We will begin with engineering programmes as it is our core area, and then move on to other streams,” he said. The VIT AP University will have an intake ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 seats. 

Replying to a question about the new education policy draft released by the HRD ministry recently, the chancellor said that the Centre should make changes in university system of affiliating colleges as the affiliation system would not offer quality and universities would not be able to compete with other institutes abroad. “We have been demanding the union government to provide autonomy to colleges affiliated with university, which is yet to be done,” he said. 

Earlier, in his presidential address, Viswanathan said that textile industry stood next to agriculture in terms of manpower in India and the country needed trained labour as the textile industry grows, which made VIT launch V-FIT. Prof Anitha Manohar, director, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai, in her address said that the job market in the fashion sector was aplenty. “Students should take advantage of the avenues of research in fashion technology, in amalgamation with other engineering branches in VIT,” she added.