The instance of engineering colleges running their courses without the approval of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has come to the notice of Government. The State-wise details of these institutes are available on AICTE website http://www.old.aicte-india.org/ dashboard/pages/unapprovedengg%202016_feb.php.

       Further, University Grants Commission (UGC) maintained the list of fake Universities/Institutions, which is available on UGC website www.ugc.ac.in. Presently, UGC has noticed that 23 such Universities are functioning in the country. In addition, Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow, UP and Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), New Delhi are also not recognized by the UGC under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, 1956. 

In order to regulate the engineering colleges, the AICTE has been established by an Act of Parliament (Act 52 of 1987) with a function to grant approval to new technical institutions, introduction of new courses etc. The AICTE has also notified regulation mandating the technical institutions to obtain the prior approval for running courses in Engineering and Technology. Further, the Institutions conducting unapproved courses are directed from time to time through Public Notices and individual letters under intimation to concerned state government to seek AICTE approval for conducting of technical education programmes or to close them down.

 So far as UGC is concerned, the following steps have been taken in the last one year to identify such Institutions/Universities:

1. Published public Notices on list of fake Universities/Institutions in Hindi and English Newspapers.
2. Sent letters to State Chief Secretaries, Education Secretaries and Principal Secretaries to take action against fake Universities/Institutes of located in their jurisdiction and identify such Universities / Institutes which are functioning in their State.
3. Show Causes Notices have been issued to the unauthorized institutes awarding invalid degrees.
4. Public Notices have been issued on illegal status of Bio-Chemic Education Grant Commission, Nadia, West Bengal and IIPM, New Delhi.

Apart from the above, the following actions are being taken by UGC to warn people against such universities: 

(i)   For the awareness of general public/students/parents, the UGC has put up the list of fake universities on its website i.e. www.ugc.ac.in. All self-styled unrecognized and unapproved institutions are cautioned that running of Undergraduate and Postgraduate degree courses and giving misleading advertisements shall attract severe action under the provisions of appropriate laws including the UGC Act and the Indian Penal Code, etc.

(ii)  At the beginning of every academic session, the UGC issues Press Release and Public Notice and state-wise list of fake universities in the country in national dailies and Newspapers in Hindi and English to warn the aspiring students, guardians and the public at large not to take admission in the courses run by the self-styled, unauthorized fake universities/institution of higher education functioning in different parts of the country.

(iii) Issued show cause notices / public notices / warning notices to these Institutions and lodged FIR against some of these Institutions in nearby Police Stations.

The Ministry has also requested the Chief Secretaries of respective State Governments to investigate the matter and register complaints in police station against these fake universities. It was also requested to initiate prosecution against those who are involved in defrauding and cheating students by misrepresenting themselves as “Universities” awarding degrees with their name.

This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Satya Pal Singh today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.

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NB/AKJ/YP/AK/LS-1929

(Release ID: 1540698)