National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) (Hindi: राष्ट्रीय फैशन टैक्नालॉजी संस्थान,एनआईएफटी) is a premiere fashion institute in India. It was set up in 1986 under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and is a premier institution in design, management and technology, developing professionals leadership positions in the international fashion business. NIFT has been granted statutory status under the act of Parliament of India in 2006, empowering the Institute to award degrees and other academic distinctions, making it the first-of-its-kind in the world. The institute provides fashion business education through a network of fourteen domestic centres at New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Raebareli, Bhopal, Taliparamba, Patna, Shillong, Bhubaneswar, Kangra and Jodhpur. NIFT has opened an international centre in Mauritius. NIFT teachers are professionals in their fields. The institute provides a common platform for fashion education, research and training.