New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared 24 ‘self-styled’ institutes fake. The UGC has also found two more in violation of norms, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Monday in the Lok Sabha in response to a written question. “Based on the complaints received from students, parents, general public and also through electronic and print media, UGC has declared 24 self-styled institutes as fake universities,” Dharmendra Pradhan said.
Incidentally among the 24 universities declared as fake two are from Odisha. They are the Nababharat Shiksha Parishad in Rourkela and North Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology
“Besides, two more institutes namely Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow, UP and Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), Qutub Enclave, New Delhi are also found functioning in violation of the UGC Act, 1956. The matters of Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow and IIPM, New Delhi are sub-judice in the court,” Pradhan added.
Uttar Pradesh has the highest eight such fake universities. Among them are the Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya (Varanasi), Mahila Gram Vidyapith (Allahabad), Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith (Allahabad), National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy (Kanpur), Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Open University (Aligarh), Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya (Mathura), Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya (Pratapgarh) and Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad (Noida), the minister informed.
Delhi has seven such fake universities. They are Commercial University Ltd, United Nations University, Vocational University, ADR Centric Juridicial University, Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Vishwakarma Open University for Self Employment and Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University).
West Bengal also has two such universities in the Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine and Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research (both in Kolkata). Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Pondicherry and Maharashtra have one fake university each, Pradhan informed.
Pradhan also elaborated on the steps taken by the UGC against the fake or non-recognised universities. “The UGC issues public notices about the list of fake universities/institutes in national Hindi and English newspapers,” informed Pradhan.
“The commission writes letters to state chief secretaries, education secretaries and principal secretaries to take action against such universities located in their jurisdiction. Show cause and warning notices are issued to the unauthorised institutes awarding invalid degrees when any self-styled institution is found or noticed functioning in violation of the UGC Act, 1956,” the minister added.
