Andhra Pradesh: The soon-to-be established International Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) in the state will offer a six-year dual degree program.

The proposed IIITs under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) will be setup in Basara in Adilabad district, Nuzived in Krishna district and Edupulapaya in Kadapa district.

Initially, each IIIT will admit 2,000 students from rural areas for the course on the basis of marks gained in the Class X or equivalent examination.

Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy said that the programme was aimed at promoting rural talents. This year, 85 percent seats had been filled through the mandal level selection' and the remaining through the state-wide merit selection process.

Of the 6,000 students selected this year, 86 percent are from Zilla Parishad and other government-supported schools while only 13 percent are from private schools.

For SCs, STs and OBCs, the government would also offer free education and would help other students with bank loans. Classes will start this August from temporary buildings, which are nearing completion.

Prof. Raj Reddy, from the Carnegie Mellon University said that at the end of the course, students would be offered two degrees, namely B.Tech in Information Technology and B.Tech in construction engineering, automotive engineering, nanotechnology or energy technology, or B.Tech in IT and MSc in science (physics, chemistry and mathematics).