Story perspectives

Rajnath Singh Launches IIT Kanpur’s $1B Fundraising Drive

By Drooid · Oct 15, 2026, 10:37 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated IIT Kanpur’s $1 billion “Greater Than Us” fundraising campaign at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Director Manindra Agrawal reported Rs 4,155 crore pledged, about half the target, from alumni, donors, government and corporations.
Alumnus Rahul Gautam pledged Rs 180 crore to establish the Gautam School of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (G-SINE).
The campaign targets Rs 5,000 crore for research, Rs 3,000 crore for talent and Rs 1,000 crore for frontier technologies.

History

Historical Context

The IIT idea began with Sir Ardeshir Dalal’s pre-1947 call for technology institutes, leading to IIT Bombay (1958), Kanpur (1959) and Madras (1959) built with foreign aid. In the 2000s the MHRD’s 2003 and 2005 committees cleared new IITs and conversions, exemplified by the 2008 in-principle approval of IT-BHU, continuing a pattern of government-led expansion and large alumni funding.

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Story summary

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated IIT Kanpur’s $1 billion “Greater Than Us” fundraising campaign at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Director Manindra Agrawal reported Rs 4,155 crore pledged, about half the target, from alumni, donors, government and corporations.
Alumnus Rahul Gautam pledged Rs 180 crore to establish the Gautam School of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (G-SINE).
The campaign targets Rs 5,000 crore for research, Rs 3,000 crore for talent and Rs 1,000 crore for frontier technologies.

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