MADURAI: They don’t even have a week, yet hardly any university across India has applied to the University Grants Commission for granting the status of Institutions of Eminence (IoE), which would enable them to get assistance of up to Rs 1,000 crore.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development intends to establish 20 IoE in India to make them world class. On September 12, the UGC had invited proposals from eligible universities, both government-run and private, asking them to apply for the IoE status within 90 days. As of November 30, the UGC hadn’t received even one application from any university in India, it said in response to an RTI request filed by Express. The letter was signed by Kundla Mahajan, Under Secretary and Public Information Officer of the UGC.
Whether or not any application reached the UGC in the last six days is not clear. But Sunil Paliwal, Principal Secretary, Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department, agreed that no university in the State had sent in their applications so far. However, Anna University, Bharathiar University, the University of Madras, Periyar University and Alagappa University will submit their applications before the last date, which is December 12, he informed.
“Apart from these five, a few other universities, including the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University are eligible to apply for the IoE status,”Paliwal stated.
Ten universities/institutions each from the government and public sectors were to be selected for the IoE status. Each selected institution would be provided with assistance of up to Rs 1,000 crores or 50 to 75 per cent of the requirement projected in the application and detailed plans submitted by it, over a span of five years. The institution would also be given the freedom to mobilise resources from the industry or alumni or other donors and utilise it in accordance with its implementation plan without seeking any permission from any authority.