The Centre has asked higher educational institutions (HEIs) to organise programmes to screen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on semiconductors on Wednesday in a move that comes ahead of the enforcement of the model code of conduct.

Modi will connect with the students, most of whom are first-time voters, as he lays down the foundation stone of semiconductor facilities in Dholera and Sanand in Gujarat and Morigaon in Assam.

Some faculty members have accused the government of interfering with the autonomy of HEIs by imposing such a “propaganda programme”.

The ministry of education has written to all the institutions to put out Viksit Bharat posters with pictures of Modi at the programme venues. The ministry wants the institutions under its control to send compliance reports after the event.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written to the vice-chancellors of all universities, including state-level universities and private universities, to organise the event. The education ministry and the UGC have issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) and a background note for the conduct of the event.

Along with its letter to VCs, the UGC has attached the designs of five posters that the institutions have to put out at the venues. The posters mention "India’s Techade: Chips for Viksit Bharat" and carry pictures of Modi laying the foundation stone for the semiconductor facilities.

“The posters related to the event are attached. It is requested to disseminate the information about the programme among the students and encourage them to participate in the event leading to the vision of Viksit Bharat,” said the letter by UGC secretary Manish Joshi.

The background note shared with institutions said: “Students and youths are key stakeholders of this endeavour, therefore, all the Universities/HEIs shall make necessary arrangement and ensure that all students, especially of STEM and technical disciplines participate in above programme,”

Abha Dev Habib, a faculty member at Miranda House College, said the faculty members and students were being forced to join the government propaganda.

“This is a top-down approach from the government on institutions. It is purely a propaganda programme ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Researchers and faculty members are supposed to focus on academic activities. But the government wants them to do propaganda,” she said.

Ashok Agrawal, a member of the executive council of Delhi University, said the directives were “politically motivated” and wrong. “It is a brazen wrong action by the government to force institutions to divert their energy on a politically motivated event. The institutions are autonomous. They have the power to ignore such directions. But the institutions are unlikely to ignore as the government would victimise them,” he said.