Infosys unlikely to get industry partner role in IIIT Dharwad

The government is unlikely to accept a proposal by Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty that Infosys be made industry partner for the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Dharwad, after the law ministry opposed the move, citing conflict of interest.

Murty is chairperson of the board of governors of IIIT Dharwad, a public-private partnership project of the union human resource development (HRD) ministry, the Karnataka government and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corp (Keonics).

She had recently proposed that Infosys replace Keonics as the industry partner and that buildings being funded by the IT firm be named after it.

The Smriti Irani-headed HRD ministry had referred the matter to the law ministry for advice last month and it's learnt to have said that making Infosys an industry partner when Murty is head of the company's philanthropic arm would be inappropriate. Accordingly, the HRD ministry is not proceeding with the Murty proposal, according to a report in The Economic Times.

It is gathered, however, that the institute's board of governors is in favour of roping in Infosys as an industry partner and may approach the state government in this regard, the report said.

When contacted, Murty's office said that she would not comment on the matter just now as she's travelling over the next two weeks. The HRD ministry did not respond to ET's queries on the subject.

As per government norms, of the total project cost of about Rs128 crore for an IIIT, the HRD ministry gives 50 per cent funding, the state pitches in with 35 per cent and the remaining 15 per cent is contributed by the industry partner.

This is aimed at helping to create "a world class information technology institute with the objective of developing professional expertise and to address the increasing skill challenges of the Indian IT industry", according to the IIIT Dharwad website.

The HRD ministry is in the process of setting up 20 new IIITs.

Murthy is also on the board of governors of IIIT Bangalore. The HRD ministry is learnt to have closely examined the rules following Murty's mentorship change request from central government-run NIT Surathkal to IIIT Bangalore, at which the IT industry is the industry partner.

Under the norms, a central government-run institute typically mentors a new school as in the case of new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

 Murthy had also asked that the institute's registrar be replaced.