NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a list of 21 “self-styled, unrecognized institutions” which are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act, and have been declared as fake universities and are not empowered to confer any degree.
Eight of these self-styled and unrecognised institutions are in Delhi. According to UGC, the second highest number of fake universities have been found in Uttar Pradesh with 4 such institutions.
“All India Institute of Public & Physical Health Sciences, Commercial University Ltd, United Nations University, Vocational University, ADR-Centric Juridical University, Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Viswakarma Open University for Self-employment, and Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya have been flagged as the non-recognized institution,” according to the University Grants Commission list.
“The names of two institutions each from West Bengal and Odisha, one each from Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh feature in the list,” said the UGC statement.
According to the UGC Act, the right to confer or grant degrees shall be exercised only by a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act or an institution deemed to be a University under Section 3 or an institution specially empowered by an Act of Parliament to confer or grant degrees.
Section 23 of the UGC Act prohibits the use of the word ‘University’ by any institution other than a university established as stated above.
Among other universities on the list are Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society (Karnataka), St John’s University (Kerala), Raja Arbaic Univerity (Nagpur), Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine and Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research (Kolkata), Nababharat Shiksha Parishad and North Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (Odisha), Shree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education (Puducherry) and Christ New Testament Deemed University (Andhra Pradesh).