Mandi: IIT Mandi is hosting a three-day All IITs Registrars’ Conclave, bringing together registrars from 18 IITs and directors from three campuses to deliberate on the future of governance in India’s premier technology institutions. The event, which began on April 18, is among the most significant gatherings of senior administrators in the IIT system.
The conclave focuses on modernising academic administration through automation, improving institutional support for research, and promoting leadership rooted in ethical and value-driven principles.
Laxmidhar Behera, Director of IIT Mandi, opened the discussions by drawing inspiration from ancient wisdom. “Every challenge in life or governance has a solution in the Gita,” he said, urging participants to “build transparent, efficient, and student-focused systems rooted in ethical principles.”
Rajeev Ahuja, Director of IIT Ropar, highlighted the vital role registrars play in institutional continuity and the global reputation of the IIT brand. Reflecting on his international experience, he spoke on “The Role of Administration in Research: Indian & European Perspectives."
Joining the conclave virtually, Manoj Singh Gaur, Director of IIT Jammu, called on registrars to embrace technology in administrative reforms. “Registrars must be at the forefront of this change,” he stated, while underlining the need to extend automation beyond laboratory settings.
Dr Kumar Sambhav Pandey, Registrar of IIT Mandi and host of the conclave, said the event reflects a collective commitment to responsive, tech-enabled, and mission-driven governance in Indian higher education. “This conclave is a step towards building the administrative spine of the country’s top institutions,” he added.
The conclave also saw participation from distinguished registrars including Dr Jayesh Chandra S Pai (Retd) from IIT Bhilai; Bamadev Acharya, IIT Bhubaneswar; Ganesh K. Bhorkade, IIT Bombay; Atul Vyas, IIT Delhi; Dr Kalyan Kumar Bhattacharjee, IIT Dharwad; Prem Kumar Chopra, IIT Gandhinagar; and many others from IIT Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Kharagpur, Palakkad, Roorkee, and more.
The gathering not only served as a platform for sharing best practices but also for forging collaboration among the top engineering institutions of India to collectively rethink and reshape the future of academic administration.
BI Bureau
