To further the cause of work-life balance, a hostel meant for married research scholars at Adityapur-based National Institute of Technology (NIT) will come up at a cost of Rs 25 crore by early 2020.

NIT director Karunesh Kumar Shukla on Thursday said the NIT board of governors in New Delhi on Wednesday approved the hostel for married research scholars, meaning they would be able to stay at self-contained units with their spouses.

The hostel will have 100 units or flatlets, each comprising two rooms, a kitchen, toilet and bathroom.

Currently, no space exists on NIT campus for married research scholars to bring their spouses. Over 50 PhD scholars come to NIT every year to complete their senior research fellowships, getting a monthly stipend of Rs 32,000 during their five-year stay.

“The hostel project will help resolve the problem of accommodation for the spouses of married research scholars,” Shukla said. He added they would soon prepare a detailed project report for the project to be executed by the central public works department. “Funds would come from the higher education funding agency.”

A woman research scholar at NIT, originally from Ranchi heartily welcomed the move. “As I can’t stay on campus when my husband visits me, I have to stay away from the institution. Every day I commute 6km to reach NIT. Once this hostel comes up, it will be a boon for married scholars like us. Family life is also important,” she said.

The NIT board of governors also approved a proposal to renovate faculty quarters and a proposal wherein the dean is empowered to approve expenses to the tune of Rs 1 lakh. Earlier, for every petty expense, the approval of the director was mandatory.