Ahmedabad, June 24 (IANS) The Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design (NID) will become a deemed university in the current year, its director Darlie O. Koshy has said. “Getting the university status will be a major leap not only in terms of the design institute but also as a major research institute on various forms of design,” he said.

He also said the Planning Commission had approved last week a grant of Rs.1.39 billion for the institute, which was 156 percent more than the previous grant.

Koshy was speaking after the new academic year of NID began Monday.

“The building for our postgraduate courses is complete and ready at the Gandhinagar campus. It has state-of-the-art classrooms and labs,” he added.

However, students of the premier design school have been agitating against shifting of its campus to Gandhinagar.

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