NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has flagged 21 “self-styled” universities, including eight in Delhi, as fake, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
In a written reply, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, currently, 21 institutions figure in the list of fake universities.
“Maintenance of Law and order is a subject matter of respective state governments. Accordingly, the central government has requested to Chief Secretaries of all the states and UT to take legal action for closure of these institutions and take appropriate action against those involved in defrauding and cheating students by misrepresenting themselves as "Universities," awarding degrees and using the word "University" with their name,” he said.
Apart from Delhi, the other such fake universities were from Uttar Pradesh (4), Andhra Pradesh (2), Kerala, (2), West Bengal (2), Karnataka (1), Maharashtra (1), and Puducherry (1).
Pradhan said the centre has also requested the states to intimate the central government /UGC if there are other fake universities functioning in their states/UTs, which are not included in the UGC list of Fake Universities.
He said the central government has taken several steps to caution the general public, students, parents and other stakeholders. He said they also issued public notices for general awareness through social media and the UGC website.
The government as well as the UGC have requested the Chief Secretaries of all State/UT Governments to take appropriate action against those involved in defrauding and cheating students by misrepresenting themselves as “Universities”, awarding degrees and using the word “University” with their name.
FIRs have been lodged against several self-styled institutions/universities. Show causes notices/warning notices have also been issued to the unauthorized institutes awarding invalid degrees.
The list of fake universities is available on the website of the University Grants Commission (UGC).