CHAPTER IIIPOWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCIL10. Functions of the Council.- It shall be the duty of the Council to take all such steps as it may think fit for ensuring coordinated and integrated development of technical education and maintenance of standards and for the purposes for performing its functions under this Act, the Council may-(a) undertake survey in the various fields of technical education, collect data on all related matters and make forecast of the (b) coordinate the development of technical education I the country at all levels (c) allocate and disburse out of the Fund of the Council such grants on such terms and conditions as it may think fit to- (i) technical institutions, and i(ii) Universities imparting technical education in coordination with the Commission; (d) promote innovations, research and development in established and new technologies, generation, adoption and adaptation of new technologies to meet developmental requirements and for over-all improvement of educational processes;(e) formulate schemes for promoting technical education for women, handicapped and weaker sections of the society; (f) promote an effective link between technical education system and other relevant systems including research and development organisations, industry and the community;(g) evolve suitable performance appraisal systems for technical institutions and Universities imparting technical education, incorporating norms and mechanisms for enforcing accountability; (h) formulate schemes for the initial and in-service training of teachers and identify institution or centres and set up new centres for offering staff development programmes including continuing education of teachers; (I) lay down norms and standards for courses, curricula, physical and instructional facilities, staff pattern, staff qualifications, quality instructions, assessment and examinations;(j) fix norms and guidelines for charging tuition and other fees; (k) grant approval for starting new technical institutions and for introduction of new courses or programmes in consultation with the agencies concerned; (l) advise the Central Government in respect of grant of charter to any professional body or institution in the field of technical education conferring powers, rights and privileges on it for the promotion of such profession in its field including conduct of examinations and awarding of membership certificates; (m) lay down norms for granting autonomy to technical institutions; (n) take all necessary steps to prevent commercialisation of technical education; (o) provide guidelines for admission of students to technical institutions and Universities imparting technical education; (p) inspect or cause to inspect any technical institution; (q) withhold or discontinue grants in respect of courses, programmes to such technical institutions which fail to comply with the directions given by the Council within the stipulated period of time and take such other steps as may be necessary for ensuring compliance of the directions of the Council; (r) take steps to strengthen the existing organisations, and to set up new organisations to ensure effective discharge of the Council's responsibilities and to create positions of professional, technical and supporting staff based on requirements;(s) declare technical institutions at various levels and types offering courses in technical education fit to receive grants; (t) advise the Commission for declaring any institution imparting technical education as a deemed University;(u) set up a National Board of Accreditation to periodically conduct evaluation of technical institutions or programmes on the basis of guidelines, norms and standards specified by it and to make recommendation to it, or to the Council, or to the Commission or to other bodies, regarding recognition or de-recognition of the Institution or the programme; (v) perform such other functions as may be prescribed.