National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Bill passed: All you need to know

Lok Sabha on July 26, 2021, passed the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021.

The bill was passed amid the uproar by the opposition parties over their various demands including the probe into the allegations of surveillance using Pegasus Spyware and repeal of the farm laws.

निफ्टेम (NIFTEM) तथा आईआईएफपीटी (IIFPT) को राष्ट्रीय महत्व के संस्थान (INI) का दर्जा प्राप्त होने के बाद देश में खाद्य प्रंसस्करण के क्षेत्र में युवाओं का रूझान बढ़ेगा और इस क्षेत्र को और मजबूती मिलेगी।#NIFTEMBILL2021 @IIFPT_MoFPI @NiftemHaryana @CRDNIFTEM

— PASHUPATI KR PARAS (@PashupatiParas) July 26, 2021

National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Bill: Key Points

• With the passing of this bill, two educational institutes, the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT), Tamil Nadu, and the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Haryana under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries became the Institutions of National Importance (INI).

• The bill seeks to provide the instructions and research in food technology, entrepreneurship, and management as well as for the advancement of learning and dissemination of knowledge in such branches.

The Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Pashupati Kumar Paras expressed his gratitude to PM Modi for this landmark step. The decision of declaring the two institutes to be the Institutions of National Importance (INI) means-

• These institutes will now have greater autonomy to start new and innovative courses. It will also help them to attract excellent faculty and students.

• Good standards will also be adopted in the academic and research work.

• The institutes will have curricular provisions related to the food processing areas such as, food bionanotechnology, cold chain technology which can further help in fulfilling the technological gap.

• They can now also open new centers anywhere in the country and abroad. Along with this, giving them the status of INI will also pave the way for the creation of skilled manpower.

• All the efforts will be made to upgrade the Human Resources, Infrastructure, and lab facilities at par with IIMs and IITs.

• As per the Vice-Chancellor of (NIFTEM), students can also be trained internationally in Food Science and Technology, being the only stand-alone university.

Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021:

On the same day, the Lower House of Parliament also managed to pass the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which aims at helping the MSME’s tide over problems of delayed payments as it seeks to broaden the participation of entities undertaking factoring.