Jharcraft managing director Dhirendra Kumar

Good news for Jharkhand’s aspiring Ritu Beris and Sabyasachi Mukherjees. The state can look forward to its very own National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

The state industries department has invited NIFT, one of India’s best-known fashion institutes, to establish a branch in the capital. At present, NIFT has 15 centres in India.

The department officials met NIFT representatives in New Delhi on December 20 and discussed the proposal.

NIFT, which was set up in 1986, functions under the Union ministry of textiles .

The glittering alumni list features some of the brightest names of India’s fashion industry — Rohit Bal, Ritu Beri, Manish Arora, Gauri and Nainika, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, among others.

“We have to look into a number of criteria necessary before starting a centre. The state government has to co-operate with land acquisition issues and other finer points. However, the talks are on and the final nod has to be given by NIFT’s board of governors,” said N.S. Bora, assistant director (vigilance), NIFT, over the phone from New Delhi.

Bora said the necessary criteria for setting up an NIFT institute included 30 acres, state-of-the-art infrastructure, a minimum number of faculty members for each course, among others. Although NIFT offers a range of courses, a new centre should run at least six courses for its sustenance. Air connectivity, faculty accommodation, good schools are the parameters of starting a new course.

Dhirendra Kumar, managing director of Jharcraft and also the special secretary at the state industries department, said they were keen to have the centre in the state.

“We want NIFT’s expertise,” he said.

The state industries department, toying with this idea for the past couple of years, initially proposed Adityapur in Seraikela-Kharsawan as the venue. But no air connectivity and a dilapidated national highway grounded the idea.

“The next meeting will be on January 12,” added Bora.