With Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to inaugurate the permanent campus of the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) in Bhubaneswar on February 7, the University Grants Commission (UGC) swung into action and granted approval to the institute Thursday. This development comes within three months of the higher education regulator directing the prestigious Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) in Mumbai, along with nine other deemed universities, to shut down their off-campus centres on the ground that they were “unauthorised” and set up without UGC’s permission. The NISER, which is affiliated with HBNI, was among the off-campus centres put on notice. Apprised of Modi’s impending visit to the institute by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) three weeks ago, sources said, the UGC got cracking on NISER’s long-pending application and scheduled an inspection of its campus, faculty and facilities on January 25. The final approval came during the UGC meeting held Thursday afternoon. NISER is now the first off-campus centre, out of those put on notice on November 9, to get the regulator’s approval. “It would have been embarrassing if the Prime Minister inaugurated the building of an institution which was labelled illegal three months ago. The crisis has been averted,” a source in the UGC said. UGC chairman Prof Ved Prakash could not be reached for comment despite several attempts. The other nine deemed universities issued notices on November 9 include Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) University, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, and Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra. The fate of their off-campus centres is still not known. HBNI vice chancellor R B Grover told The Indian Express: “Yes, a team from the UGC visited NISER on January 25 but I haven’t heard anything about the approval coming through. We had first applied for UGC’s approval for NISER in 2009, following which they made several queries and we finally finished complying with all their requirements in July 2015.” Asked why the UGC issued notice to HBNI to close down NISER even though it had applied for approval in 2009, Grover said, “Such things happen. But we kept dialogue open with the UGC chairman even after the notice came. Things finally worked out and that is what matters.” Modi’s visit to NISER’s campus is part of his three-day visit to Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha from February 5 to 7. He will arrive in Bhubaneswar Sunday where he will inaugurate NISER’s permanent building and then visit the Jagannath temple in Puri.
