Context: The IIT Council, which is the apex decision-making body of IITs. has set up four panels for autonomy on February 22, 2021. The panel will look after several issues ranging from funding to graded autonomy in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

• The four committees were set up in December last year at the behest of Dr. K Radhakrishnan, chairman of the IIT Council’s Standing Committees.

Background
An earlier attempt

• In 2018, the ministry had set up a seven-member panel, headed by former IIT-Kanpur chairman M Anandkrishnan to explore the feasibility of diluting government control over the 23 IITs.
• The Anandkrishnan committee had sought powers similar to the 20 IIMs to appoint their own institute heads and chairmen.

Key Points

• The panel has also decided to do the rationalisation of staff from current standard to a lower number.
• IIT Council was headed by education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal.
• It was recommended to constitute a taskforce to review use of technology at all IITs and also to accelerate deployment of digital tools. 
• It was also recommended to undertake rationalization of staff from current standards to a lower number
• The council will also look after the issues including mobility of faculties in between the classroom & industries, wider use of technology in education operations & dissemination, rationalisation of staff, grooming faculties to become directors.

Four committees of IIT council

• The four committees have been constituted based on the recommendation of Chairman of the Standing Committee for IIT Council. 

They were constituted on understated issues in accordance with the National Education Policy-2020

• Group-1: Graded Autonomy, Empowered & accountable BoG and Director;
• Group-2: Grooming distinguished academics for directorship of IITs;
• Group-3: Reform and restructuring of Academic Senate;
• Group-4: Innovative funding mechanisms.

IIT Council

• The Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council) is the governing body. This body is  responsible and accountable for all the Indian Institutes of Technology in India. 
• In this council, Chairman happens to be the minister-in-charge of the technical education in the Union Government. 
• The council also comprises of three Members of Parliament, Joint Council Secretary of Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Chairman of all IITs, Directors of all IITs, Chairman of University Grants Commission, three appointees from the Union Government, AICTE, Chairman of IISc and Director of IISc.