Patna: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Bombay) has agreed to become the mentor institution of Nalanda Engineering College, Chandi.

The Nalanda College will be the first engineering institution in Bihar that would be mentored by such a premier IIT. The decision was taken on Saturday after a team from IIT-Bombay, led by its senior faculty member Vikram Gadre, visited the institute. The IIT team had a discussion with the science and technology (S&T) department officials of the Nalanda college.

The IIT team also interacted with the students, teachers and administrative officials. The college in Chandi, around 60km south of Patna, falls in chief minister Nitish Kumar's home district.

Six undergraduate batches have passed from the institute that was established in 2008. The institute at present has 1,000 students in mechanical, electrical, civil and computer science branches.

Director technical (S&T) Atul Sinha said: "IIT-Bombay becoming the mentor institution of Nalanda Engineering College is a big achievement for the institute. The S&T for the past few months were in touch with IIT-Bombay to push for the mentorship. IIT-Bombay agreed to become the mentor institution after going through the infrastructure facilities of the institute."

IIT-Bombay will now provide a two-week training/orientation to teachers of the Nalanda college.

Sinha said: "With the mentorship third-year students of the college will get an opportunity to do a two-month internship at IIT-Bombay and during the internship they will stay in Mumbai."

Subodh Rai, a third-year mechanical engineering student, said they now expect that the institute will get a major facelift. "The Bombay IIT will not only provide training to teachers but also help students of Nalanda Engineering College in placements," Rai said.