Will West Bengal get its second IIT? Government to seek IIT status for IIEST Shibpur

Kolkata/IBNS: The West Bengal government will soon submit a proposal to the Centre seeking the upgradation of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur into an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar announced on Monday, according to media reports.

IBNS • 14 Jul 2026, 10:00 am

Majumdar said the proposal would be sent by the newly elected BJP government in the state as part of its efforts to strengthen higher education and technical institutions in West Bengal.

Proposal to upgrade IIEST Shibpur

Speaking after a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay and School Education Minister Dipak Barman, Majumdar said the state government would formally approach the Centre to grant IIT status to IIEST Shibpur.

Formerly known as Bengal Engineering College (BE College), IIEST Shibpur is one of India's oldest engineering institutions. Established in 1856, it was converted into an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology in 2014 and functions as an institute of national importance under the Ministry of Education.

If approved, it would become West Bengal's second IIT after IIT Kharagpur, the country's first IIT established in 1951.

JU's Institute of Eminence proposal forwarded

Majumdar also said the proposal seeking the prestigious Institute of Eminence (IoE) status for Jadavpur University (JU), along with a request for central funding, has been forwarded to the Union government.

According to the Union minister, a similar proposal had been prepared earlier but was not pursued by the previous state government.

Focus on higher education

The announcements come as the new BJP government, which assumed office in May 2026 after ending the Trinamool Congress' long rule in the state, seeks to strengthen higher education infrastructure and increase central investment in West Bengal's premier academic institutions.

The proposed IIT status for IIEST Shibpur and the renewed push for Jadavpur University's Institute of Eminence recognition are expected to be among the state's key higher education priorities in its engagement with the Centre.