Bhilai Institute of Technology (BIT) is the first self-financed engineering college in Central India. Established in 1986, it was affiliated to Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University. History Commissioning of the Bhilai Steel Plant at Bhilai in 1959 necessitated having suitably trained and skilled personnel to perform specific technical tasks at the plant. Seeing this need, various organizations, industrialists, charitable institutions and philanthropic societies of the region took an initiative to establish an engineering institution, and to this end, a trust was formed and registered. The Government of Madhya Pradesh accorded the permission to open a self-supporting and self-financing engineering institute, and thus, in July 1986, the Bhilai Institute of Technology came into existence. Seth Balkrishan was a philanthropist and a key founding member of BIT. His contribution in the fields of education, sports, social advancement, and the spiritual needs of the community are seen as legendary in Bhilai and the neighboring regions. The institute is therefore dedicated to him. BIT-Durg was established in 1986, it was affiliated to Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur and started offering Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication and Mechanical Engineering with an intake capacity of 180 students. Over the years it started offering Computer Science and Engineering and Master of Business Administration (1998), Master of Computer Applications (1999), Information Technology (2000) and Electrical and Electronics (2006). In 2005, Institute got affiliated to newly formed Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University, Bhilai. On 16 July 2020, it became the first engineering college in Chhattisgarh to be awarded with Autonomous status. Location The institute is located at the threshold of Durg city beside NH-53 (GE Road) in Chhattisgarh, India. The whole establishment is spread over of land, in Bhilai House opposite to the Circuit house. Its proximity to Durg bus depot and Durg railway station facilitates fast commuting. Additionally, it is connected to each and every corner of Bhilai-Durg agglomeration through various means of transportation such as minibuses, auto rickshaw etc. Academics The Programmes offered by the institute can be broadly classified as follows: Undergraduate programmes Postgraduate programmes Doctorate programmes All the Undergraduate Programmes are full-time courses, whereas Postgraduate Programmes involve both full-time and part-time courses. It offers Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Information Technology etc. Apart from this, for the purpose of promoting higher studies and research, the institute has research