Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Chairs 56th IIT Council Meeting at IIT Delhi

On August 25, 2025, at IIT Delhi the 56th Council Meeting of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) was chaired by Union Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, raising the bar of technical   education and innovation. The resolutions attempted to push ahead Prime Minister Narendra Modi vision of ‘Atmanirbarta se Samridha Bharat’ (a prosperous nation through self-reliance) using IITs as force-multiplier technology, inclusiveness, and building prosperity.

Major Decisions and Directions

Speaking at the event, Dharmendra Pradhan urged IITs to make quantum jumps and transform into drivers of Atmanirbhar and Samriddha Bharat, and he explained that their efforts could profoundly benefit society as a whole. He encouraged IITs to be in the foremost position of producing job creators rather than as job seekers and he pointed out their revolutionary impact in real world problem solving, translation research and in worldwide industry partnerships.

A major aspect was the advocacy of the use of Indian languages in technical education. The Minister particularly requested all IITs to start conducting courses in regional languages in addition to English by intending to reach all students and make IIT education more inclusive and accessible to students across all backgrounds.

Roadmap to the Future

Pradhan announced a 25-year roadmap in this meeting aimed at ensuring that the IITs are future-ready in ways that make them more inclusive and more aligned to the goal of advancement in science and society in India by 2047. The strategy emphasizes the broader accessibility of underrepresented populations, the creation of multidisciplinary teams, the development of international collaborations, and adoption of AI, quantum computing, and clean energy.

The Council decided to redesign Ph.D. programs to increase quality and international relevance, together with faster commercialization of research and better alumni engagement and student mentorship. Particularly, more than 6,000 start-ups, 56 unicorns, and close to 5,000 patents make IITs significant contributors to the national economy and Indian innovation ecosystem. 

Student wellbeing and Inclusion

The aspect of student health and campus wellbeing was highlighted, with the Council sharing the best-practices to adopt student care and support services, annual health check-ups, and healthy campus lifestyles. The minister emphasized the necessity of more caring faculty-student interaction to promote happier and healthier campus climates.

Stakeholder Participation

The meeting included the Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, other senior dignitaries and discussed extending research parks, bringing new national accreditation systems and the feasibility of adjusting current curricula due to the current rapid development of artificial intelligence.

This historical meeting is one step closer to making IIT a more inclusive, innovative, and globally competitive system. Focused on regional languages, quantum leaps in research and innovations, and student support, the decisions of the Council chart the course of how India needs to drive its aspirations into the Amrit kaal and beyond through its premier technical institutes