The government has decided to set up a six-member committee headed by T V Mohandas Pai of Infosys to study and recommend the criteria for selecting private partners for setting up of 20 new Indian Institutes of Information Technology, IIIT. A Human Resource Development Ministry official said, the committee has been asked to submit its report within two months. These IIITs will be set up on Public Private Partnership model with the Centre, the state governments and the industry being the stake holders.

The official said, the terms of reference of the committee will include the development of criteria for selection of proposals received from the state government for setting up the new IIITs. The committee, which will have directors from IIITs Hyderabad and Gwalior, will also select and decide the location of the new IIITs in the states.