REGIONAL ENGINEERING COLLEGES
(RECS)
 

28.1 Fourteen Engineering Colleges (RECs) were set-up, one each in the major States, during the Second and Third Plan periods to enable the country to meet the increased need for trained personnel during subsequent Plan periods. The fifteenth REC at Silchur (Assam) started functioning in November 1977, and the sixteenth one at Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh in July 1986. Establishment of one more REC at Jalandhar in Punjab has been approved and is expected to start functioning very soon.

28.2 During 1987-88, emphasis was laid on the consolidation of existing facilities, establishment of computer centres at selected RECs, modernisation of laboratories including replacement of obsolete equipment, construction of students' hostels and development of students' activity centres. These Colleges made good progress in the implementation of their development plans. One hundred and forty seven laboratories are being developed in these Colleges under the scheme of institutional network with IITs. Under the scheme of strengthening facilities in crucial areas where weakness exists, B.Tech. degree course in Computer Science was introduced this year in the RECs at Kurukshetra and Silchar. Large size computer systems were installed in the RECs at Allahabad and Durgapur increasing thereby the number of RECs with such systems to four. All RECs have been Provided with atleast 'O' level Computers. Master's degree Course in Computer Applications (MCA) was started at the RECs at Jamshedpur and Bhopal.

28.3 In the context of the implementation of the NPE 1986, Programme of Action (POA) documents were prepared for all the RECs redefining their institutional goals and targets, and projecting perspective plans to cover the remaining period of the Seventh Plan and also the Eighth Plan period.

28.4 The RECs have been approved Rs. 28.00 crores under Plan and Non- Plan budget for 1987-88.

46