The Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Bodhgaya, is set to start a three-year degree course in hotel management from the next academic session.

The institute, which is running from a rented building since 2009, has two diploma courses in food production and food and beverage service.

Apart from the degree course, which would have 40 seats, the institute also aims to start a three-month capacity building service provider course and a one-month guide training programme with 100 seats and 50 seats, respectively.

Institute acting director-cum-officer on special duty Surya Pal Singh said: “The central public works department had promised to complete the building by December 2012. However, the officials have now fixed December 2013 as the new deadline. At present, the institute is running from a rented building. While the government has provided nine acres for the institute, the Union tourism ministry has allotted around Rs 15 crore.”

The institute requires more teachers to start the new courses. “The institute is running two 18-month diploma courses in food production and the food and beverage service with 40 seats each and have appointed three teachers on contract. A proposal for permanent appointment of 12 more teachers and 10 non-teaching employees has been sent to the tourism ministry,” Singh said.

The institute, only second such in Bihar after the one in Hajipur, is affiliated to the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology. “During the last four sessions, around 100 students have passed the two diploma courses and have got 100 per cent placement,” Singh said.

The course fee at the institute is much lower than its counterparts in the country. “The students have to shell out Rs 30,000 and Rs 25,000 for the two diploma courses. Other institutes would charge around Rs 2 lakh for the same. The fee for the degree course would be Rs 2 lakh against Rs 7 lakh charged by other institutes,” Singh said.