Indian Government Calls for Both Austerity and 9 New Engineering Universities

India plans to spend $542-million to set up nine new National Institutes of Technology in states that lack the engineering institutions, but at the same time, as part of a new austerity drive by the government, the ministry in charge of higher education has directed public universities to “mandatorily’” pull the plug on costs related to setting up infrastructure, conducting seminars, travel, and the purchase of chemicals and library books, reported The Times of India. The ministry called for a 10-percent cut in administrative expenses that include professional services, advertising and publicity, domestic and foreign travel, and office costs, but exclude salaries and pensions.