The National Institute of Design will soon be declared a Centre of Excellence bringing it at par with institutions like IIT and IIM.
"We shall declare NID as a Centre of Excellence and an Act in this regard shall be placed in the Parliament. Final touches are being given to the Act, which will be very soon approved by the Union Cabinet," Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textile, told reporters here on Wednesday.
"We have taken a decision, the legal vetting of the Act is on and it shall become a national institute of excellence very soon," Sharma said.
"Thereafter, those joining the institute from India or abroad shall be awarded degrees, like from any other institute of excellence," he said.
The process of declaring NID a centre of excellence was set in motion around two years ago. Presently, it awards diploma for its UG and PG programmes.
Sharma also announced that in the 12th Five Year Plan, a Jewellery Design Center and Automobile Research and Design Center will be set up in NID Gandhinagar campus, besides a mess of recreation centre, for which Rs 25 crore shall be given by the Centre.
Lauding the role of NID, Sharma said students of this premier design institute have brought laurels to the country.
The design work of cars like Hyundai, Renault, new designs of Tata Nano, all are being carried out here, Sharma said after reviewing the products on display here.
The institute has also done well for empowering women, through basketry craft making, one of the projects announced by the Prime Minister during the India African Forum Summit, he said.