IIT (ISM) is located in the mineral-rich region of India, in the city of Dhanbad. It is the third oldest institute (after IIT Roorkee and IIT (BHU) Varanasi) which got converted into an IIT.[3] It was established by British Indian Government on the lines of the Royal School of Mines - London, and was formally opened on 9 December 1926 by Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India.[4] It started as an institution to impart mining education, and today, has grown into a technical institution with various academic departments. The institute featured among the top 100 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings of 2016 by Subject in the fields of Mining and Mineral Engineering.[5] IIT (ISM) admits its undergraduate students through Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced), previously IIT-JEE.[6][7]
IIT (ISM) has 18 academic departments covering Engineering, Applied Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and Management programs. On 25 May 2016, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Modi approved that a bill be introduced in Parliament for converting ISM Dhanbad into an Indian Institute of Technology.[8] On 26 July 2016, the above-mentioned Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha. On 2 August 2016 the Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Bill was eventually signed by the President of India on 10 August and notified in the Gazette of India.[9]
The Indian National Congress is of opinion that a Government College of Mining Engineering be established in some suitable place in India on the models of the Royal School of Mines in England...
The McPherson Committee formed by Government of British India, recommended the establishment of an institution for imparting education in the fields of mining and geology, whose report, submitted in 1920, formed the main basis for establishment of the Indian School of Mines at Dhanbad, on 9 December 1926.[4]
In 2006, IIT (ISM) added 14 new courses, prominent among them being Electrical Engineering and a course in Environmental Engineering in the undergraduate curriculum. From 2006, ISM also started offering Integrated Master of Science (Int. M.Sc) in Applied Physics, Applied Chemistry and Mathematics & Computing, and Integrated Master of Science and Technology (Int. M.Sc Tech) courses for Applied Geology and Applied Geophysics. In 2011 institute offered a B.Tech programme in Chemical Engineering. The institute introduced Civil Engineering in 2013 and Engineering Physics in 2014.
While a proposal to upgrade ISM Dhanbad to an Institutes of National Importance had been put as early as 1994 by a Government Committee,[12] no action was taken by the Government over this proposal.
A proposal for the conversion was included in the 12th Five year plan after its passage through the National Development Council (NDC), on 27 December 2012,[13] and put across the IIT Council on 7 January 2013.[14]
The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, during his budget speech in Parliament on 28 February 2015, proposed to upgrade ISM Dhanbad into an IIT.[15][16] On 25 May 2016, the Union Cabinet approved that a bill be introduced in Parliament for converting ISM Dhanbad into an IIT.[8] On 19 July 2016 the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced into the Lok Sabha. It was passed by the Lok Sabha without opposition on 25 July 2016. The Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Bill on 2 August 2016 and The Bill has got the Presidential assent and a Gazzete notification has been made, thus officially converting ISM into an IIT.
An eight storey Central Research Facility has been set up at IIT (ISM) as a Centre of National Importance.[19][20] IIT (ISM) works as a think-tank for eleven ministries of the Govt. of India.[21]
Industry Institute Interaction Facility, Kolkata: An Industry Institute Interaction Facility, Kolkata has been established in Kolkata, for hosting campus interviews and international conferences, etc.[22] Another Industry Institute Interaction Facility is being set up in Delhi, and will be ready by 2016.[23]
Academic programs
IIT (ISM) offers courses in engineering, pure sciences, management and humanities with a focus on engineering. The programs and courses offered at IIT (ISM) are changing as the institute is evolving into a full-fledged engineering university from the earlier focus on mining and earth sciences. The institute has 18 departments and five inter-disciplinary centers. The Department of Mining Engineering has been accorded the status of "Center of Advanced Studies" by the University Grants Commission.
Admission to the courses of B.Tech, Dual Degree and Integrated courses are done from JEE Advanced qualified students. Admission to the M.Tech courses are done either through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) or through a special examination conducted by the institute. Admissions to the MBA program is done through the Common Admission Test (CAT). Admission to the M.Sc.Tech. and PhD courses are done through exams conducted by the institute.
Campus
The IIT (ISM) campus is surrounded by offices related to mining such as the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, and the headquarters of DGMS and of Bharat Coking Coal Limited. The IIT (ISM) campus comprises academic buildings, student hostels with a 100% residential facilities for faculty, staff and students. The Health Center provides medical care to students, teachers, staff and their family members. IIT (ISM) is home to the Geological Museum, the Seismic Observatory, a Data Processing Laboratory, the Long Wall Mine Gallery and the Remote Sensing Laboratory.
The Central Library is automated and provides services seven days a week, catering to more than 5500 users belonging to 17 departments and centers. The library houses 80,000 books, 8000 Ph.D. thesis and dissertations, 35,000 bound volumes of journals etc.[24]
There is a campus-wide fiber optic internet connection and Wi-Fi network, which covers all the departments, teachers' quarters, and students' hostels. There is a central computer lab, and computer labs in each of the Departments.
Being a fully residential campus, IIT (ISM) has 10 hostels - seven for boys and three for girls. All hostels have a mess, canteen, badminton courts and common halls (having TV and pool tables). The newly constructed hostels of boys and girls also have gyms in their compound, which are in addition to the main gym that is for all IIT (ISM) students. The hostels are named after gemstones.
In 2011 the state government approved IIT (ISM)'s acquisition of up to 240 acres of land adjacent to the present campus.[25] Massive construction activities are ongoing in the existing IIT (ISM) campus, which when complete will nearly double in size.
Student life
The campus has outdoor and indoor facilities for sports like athletics, cricket, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis. Interested students are also trained in combat sports such karate and boxing. Students choose between National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), National Sports Organisation (NSO) and yoga for an extra curricular activity.
The Student Activity Centre (SAC) has a swimming pool, gym, food cafe, and music club. There are various clubs related to dramatics, dance, music, quizzing, literary, photography, robotics, etc. There is a students society by the name of IIT (ISM) Students Society (ISS).[26]
Students of the college also take part in social activities and causes of social uplift. Kartavya, Fast Forward India[27] (FFI)[28] and Samitra are three such initiatives to help the underprivileged children around the college campus.[29][30]
On 14 September 2014 students of IIT (ISM) donated a record 1011 units in a single day eventually grabbing the top place in number of blood donations in Jharkhand.[31]
Other activities include the student-published bi-annual campus newspaper Mailer Daemon, the annual inter-college cultural festival Srijan, the annual techno-management fest Concetto, the annual sports fest Parakram and the Spring Fest Basant.
There are several clubs operating in IIT (ISM) as for example: AIESEC in IIT ISM Dhanbad, ISMDiaries, LITC, the Music Club, Toastmasters, etc.
IIT (ISM) was ranked as the 8th best Engineering College of India in the Edu-Rand Rankings of 2015.[36] The survey was done jointly by Edu, an Indian company and Rand Corporation, a non-profit American think-tank.[37]
IIT (ISM) has been ranked at 201-250 position among BRICS nations' and 51-100 among Mineral and Mining institutes by QS World University Rankings in 2016.[38]