The National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are a group of public engineering colleges of India. These institutes have been declared by Act of Parliament as institutions of national importance. On their inception decades ago, all NITs were referred to as Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) and were governed by their respective state governments. NITs were founded to promote regional diversity and multi-cultural understanding in India. Comprising thirty autonomous institutes, they are located in one each major state/territory of India. In 2007,the Indian government declared these schools as Institute of National Importance.