Pondicherry University has been always proactive towards welfare of students, faculty and staff. It has been striving to provide state of the art facilities for all its stakeholders. It firmly denies any move against the interests of students and malpractice or corruption in the recruitment of teaching and non – teaching staff. PU marches ahead under the dynamic leadership of Professor Gurmeet Singh as Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University who has successfully completed his 5 years of term and entered 6 th year of extended term to continue the ongoing progressive work.

FIRM DENIAL AND REBUTTAL OF CHARGES

Pondicherry University firmly denies all baseless allegations that are circulated recently alleging the varsity is against the interests of students and involved in irregularities in recruitment and award of contracts levelled by certain political parties and organisations which are being misled by some mischievous elements. Students fees, which were not hiked for decades were raised marginally. On the other hand, the fact is Pondicherry University provides financial assistance to research scholars and students admitted to the Pondicherry University through various schemes of scholarships and fellowships. Actually, the student’s strike of 2020 under the pretext of fee hike was called off based on the directives of the Honourable High Court of Madras.

Pondicherry University has filled so far 91 teaching positions of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors and 6 posts of Deputy Registrars and Assistant Registrars each duly following the prescribed procedure of selection as per UGC Regulations framed from time to time and instructions of Government of India through duly constituted statutory selection committees and approved by the Executive Council of the University. The entire selection process right from scrutiny / screening of applications till final selection is made purely based on merits following the norms, rules and regulations prescribed by the Government of India, Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission.

All the activities of University are open and transparent duly following the rules and regulations of Government of India and University Grants Commission and approved by the appropriate bodies of the University like Executive Council, Academic Council, Finance Committee, Building Committee, Work Advisory Board, etc.,

 

THE FACTUAL POSITION AND THE REAL SCENARIO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN UNIVERSITY RANKING

The ultimate progress of any University rests upon the synergy of performance of all stakeholders to enable the achievement of set goals like implementation of the National Educational Policy 2020 with avidity and fervour in all its true sense and practice. It is the undoubted conviction of every individual participant that only a virtuous leader like the present Vice-Chancellor Professor Gurmeet Singh of Pondicherry Central University who came with a vision and mission to build this institution so as to make the University to attain recognition both at the national and international levels. The remarkable feature is that national and international rankings like NIRF ranking, Times Higher Education the Ranking, Outlook Ranking and much more rankings have topped this institution in view of its exemplary performance which has improved its status in the last quinquennium under his unbound potential and talents.

Pondicherry University ranked among the top 1,000 universities in the world in the latest QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings for the academic year of 2022-2023.

The QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University rankings released for the academic year 2022-2023 edition and Pondicherry University is placed in the 801-1000 rank range. A record number of 2462 institutions from about 100 countries participated in this year, of which only 41 Indian Universities and Institutions are able to make an entry into the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings for the academic year of 2022-2023.

The Times Higher Education (THE), publisher of the globally recognized “The World University Rankings”, released the 2022 edition of its Impact Rankings that assess universities relating to United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A record number of 1524 Universities from over 110 countries participated in the current year 2022 and 64 Indian Universities have been featured in the Impact Rankings 2022.

Pondicherry University has been participating in this ranking since its first edition and happy to share that Pondicherry University is ranked at 601-800 in the fourth edition released on 28.04.2022 with a significantly improved overall score of 57.3-64 against the previous year 47.6- 56.5. The (THE) Impact Rankings assess the impact of the University on society through its contributions towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Pondicherry University progressed considerably leaving behind among many other Indian Universities in the SDGs, namely, Climate Action, Life below Water, Life on Land with a rank of 201-300 besides quality education.

Pondicherry University also enhanced its own performance over the last year on the SDGs related to Responsible consumption and production and clean water sanitation with rank of 201-300, Gender Equality with rank of 301-400 and Partnership for the Goals with rank of 401-600, while maintaining the same positions in other SDG goals it ranked. The University also maintained its position with regard to Times Higher Education World University Rankings as well as Asia University Rankings 2022.

Pondicherry has consistently improved its ranking in the Outlook-ICARE India University rankings ever since Prof. Gurmeet Singh took over the reins of Pondicherry University from rank no 11 in 2019 to the top position rank no 4 in 2022.

Pondicherry University has obtained rank no 68 in the NIRF ranking among Universities in India and among the top of 150 institutions in the year 2022 while 1876 institutions participated in the ranking. The number of institutions which participated in the previous years were 233 (2016), 724 (2017), 957 (2018), 1479 (2019), 1578 (2020), 1657 (2021) and 1876 (2022). The remarkable feature is overall score of Pondicherry University has been increasing every year inspite of the increasing competition.

SUCCESSFUL HANDLING OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC

When the Covid 19 pandemic came to smother the administrative and academic functioning to a lower level at all places invariably, the present Vice–Chancellor Professor Gurmeet Singh exhibited immense concern to exalt the good interests of one and all without feeling any neglect of their basic requirements. The challenges posed by the pandemic were well addressed, so as to enable immediate relief from the pangs of the gruesome pandemic and thereby the University functioned at optimum levels without any hindrance. The Education and Research of all the students and scholars remained uninterrupted to the maximum gratification of students, research scholars, teachers, officers, staff, parents and society at large.

HUMANISTIC APPROACH AND INCREASE OF MORALE OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS

Motivation plays an important role for achieving goals. Pondicherry University has been lagging behind in this regard for about a decade. Hence it became the prime duty and responsibility of the present Vice-Chancellor Professor Gurmeet Singh to bridge this wide gap at all costs. This task was taken up as the foremost claim and the long pending award of Career Advancement Scheme was taken up along with the direct recruitment of teachers, officers and staff at all levels cleared the ten – year gap successfully, exhibiting the result-oriented affirmation of the ideal interests of the entire academic community. Not only the teaching staff but also the non – teaching staff were immensely motivated by the progression /promotion/regularization under the umbrella of Career Advancement Scheme/Modified Assured Career Progression scheme/Regularisation of contract employees/Personal Promotion/Promotion/Compassionate appointments etc which were pending for years together.

INFRASTRUCTURAL GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Without the infrastructural growth, the additional courses offered could not fulfill the needs of the fast-changing society for developmental activities. Professor Gurmeet Singh bearing in mind this requirement, provided for the vast complex of new buildings with all modern amenities and thus paved the way for a number of additional courses of study and research at Pondicherry University. These developments in the field of infrastructure has been made

possible through Higher Education Financing Agency, a scheme sponsored by Ministry of Education, Government of India during the regime of the present Vice-Chancellor.

The following innovative and job oriented post graduate programmes were introduce in the last five years:

 

1. M.A SEAL (Social & Economic Administration and Law)

2. M.B.A (Data Analytics)

3. M.A (Women’s Studies)

4. M.A (Human Rights & Inclusive Policy)

5. M.B.A (Finance Technology)

6. M.B.A. (Logistics & Supply Chain Management)

7. M.B.A (Business Administration at Karaikal & Port Blair campus)

8. M.Sc Geophysics

The following centers were upgraded to the status of departments during the said period:

1. Green Energy Technology

2. Microbiology

3. Bioinformatics

 

The following chairs which was the brain child of Prof. Singh was established during the said

period:

 

1. Shri Aurobindo Chair

2. Shri Subramania Bharathi Chair

Pondicherry University under the leadership of Professor Gurmeet Singh, Vice-Chancellor, implemented several sustainable development and climate-change related initiatives over the past 4 years under the umbrella ‘green campus’. These programs complemented the Swachhta Action Plan, Flagship Programs, multiple sustainable development goals, and mandatory requirements of the University Grants Commission, and Ministries like Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. In recognition of these pioneering efforts in the region, Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India has recognized the University with the award of ‘District Green Champion’ for the year 2021-22, for successfully implementing the Swachhta Action Plan, through best green practices and sustainability index activities that are in line with sustainable waste management, water management, energy management, sanitation, hygiene, and greenery management. The nodal agency for this movement is the Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education, in the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, Government of India.

TO REACH THE UNREACHED

To accomplish the noble task “to reach the unreached”, the present Vice-Chancellor Professor Gurmeet Singh took initiatives in the growth and expansion of not only the main campus at Puducherry but also its outreach centres like Karaikal, Mahe and he has reached the farthest tip of the country – Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This is a remarkable achievement in the history of Pondicherry University where all the outlying areas within the jurisdiction of Pondicherry University were benefited.

EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF INTERNAL RESOURCES

It is very difficult to acquire financial adequacy without properly tapping economic measures of managing the internal finances and resources and optimum utilisation of resources and funds. The solar power plants, initiated by the visionary administration of the present Vice-Chancellor could provide savings of approximately more than Rupees 1 crore per annum in our power bills. Yet another greatest achievement of the present Vice-Chancellor Professor Gurmeet Singh is the implementation of DAVP rates in Pondicherry University advertisements, thus saving approximately more than Rupees 2 crores per annum. What was dreamt since the inception of Pondicherry University in the year 1985 has been realised by Professor Singh in the year 2018.

 

ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF UNIVERSITY

At the academic level, it was the recognition, acceptance and implementation of the Common University Entrance Test CUET (UG and PG) for the new – coming students at this university level; at the national and international levels, various collaborations have been signed for execution through new MoUs; various new reforms under studies, courses, research, innovation, experimentation and implementation of National Education Policy 2020 at Pondicherry University and its affiliated colleges with effect from the forthcoming academic year have contributed to the excellence of Pondicherry University under the stewardship of this Vice-Chancellor Professor Gurmeet Singh and he has successfully completed his term of 5 years and is currently in his 6th year of extended term by which, there is not even an iota of doubt that further progress of Pondicherry University would continue with greater opportunities for all the stakeholders and the institutional growth of the University.

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