The University Grants Commission(UGC) has been taking strict action against a string of fake universities that have been discovered across the nation. Information about said universities came to light through public protests, student complaints, references from states, Union Territories (UTs), and even local authorities.
The list of fake universities published by UGC currently includes 21 such institutions and universities. Out of these 21 fraudulent institutions, seven are in Delhi, one each in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, four in Uttar Pradesh, two in Odisha, and one each in Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.
Rajnish Jain, secretary of UGC, released a statement on the matter of fake universities saying, “... a recognised university as per the law is one that satisfies the section Sec (2f) of UGC Act 1956. As per this Act, a university needs to have been established under a Central or a State Act including any other institution. After such cases come to our cognisance, we issue show cause notices to such self-styled institutions and also write to the Principal Secretaries and Education Secretaries of the states and UTs requesting them to take action against them.”
Pankaj Mittal, secretary-general, Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has also shared that “As per the section 23 of UGC, any institution which is not established by the State or Central Act or is not a deemed to be university or institute of national importance, can be termed as a fake university. If such institutions use the word ‘university’ in their nomenclature, it is tantamount to being illegal. The degrees they give to the students without being a university stands no value. Generally, we get to know about fake universities through UGC.”
The UGC has issued warnings against these universities, publishing their names on their official website - www.ugc.ac.in/page/fake-universities.aspx in a bid to caution students and parents against being duped by representatives of said universities.