This paper deals with technical education growth, policies in pre and post independent India. The world is moving forward rapidly and positively, into an era where societies and economies are incrementally based on knowledge. The importance of nations in the 21st Century shall be judged not by their economic strength alone, but also by their power to conceptualize, innovate, invent and bring the benefits of these inventions to their people.  With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, new technologies like business management, pharmacy, and computer technology were developed. The Government emphasized the need for technical manpower to handle these organizations and directed the states to develop technical education on a fast track mode. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was set-up in November 1945 as a national level apex advisory body and, later on, in 1987 it was given the statutory status by an act of parliament. Due to efforts and initiatives taken during successive Five Year Plans technical education witnessed tremendous growth in quantitative terms with the establishment of engineering colleges, polytechnics, Industrial Training Institutes and so on. But mere quantitative increase in the number of institutions imparting technical education will not help India in realizing her dream of establishing the knowledge society of the future.