HYDERABAD: The University of Hyderabad is officially an Institution of Eminence (IoH). The HRD Ministry on Thursday awarded the IoE status to five public institutes, including Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur, apart from UoH. The decision was taken following a recommendation made by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the advice of an Empowered Expert Committee.
UoH is the only varsity from the Telugu states to make it to the elite club. Andhra University failed to make the cut, along with others, such as, Aligarh Muslim University, Ashoka University, Azim Premji University, Tezpur University, Punjab University and Indian Institute of Public Health in Gandhinagar.
So far, 16 institutions have been recognised as IoEs. State government’s confirmation and commitment is awaited in the case of four other institutions.
Granting the IoE tag is part of a larger scheme of the HRD Ministry, which announced in 2018 that 20 IoEs — 10 public and 10 private — would enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.Accordingly, the government will provide funding of up to `1,000 crore to public institutions with the IoE tag. In case of the private institutions proposed as Institutions of Eminence, there will be no financial support. However, they will be entitled to more autonomy under the special category of ‘Deemed University’. The IoEs will also not be subjected to inspection by the UGC.