Deemed univs under cloud,law being planned for PIO varsities

At a time when deemed universities have come under a cloud of suspicion,the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry has decided to review....

At a time when deemed universities have come under a cloud of suspicion,the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry has decided to review its plans to take the deemed university route to set up five universities for Persons of Indian Origin (PIO). Instead,it is planning to enact a new law exclusively to govern the proposed varsities.

In a way,the Ministry wants to bypass the UGC guidelines for setting up the universities and keep the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry out of it. The new legislation,sources said,could take care of the specific requirements of the universities for PIO.

A regular deemed university cannot have its own policies regarding admission and fee structure. It has to follow norms established by the UGC and guidelines based on Supreme Court rulings. PIO universities need a pattern relevant to overseas Indians, K Mohandas,Secretary,Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs,told The Indian Express,explaining reasons for the need for a new legislation.

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He said admission norms will have to be different for PIO universities as half the seats are to be reserved for PIO/NRI students. The Ministry apprehends problems in engaging foreign faculty for such universities under UGC norms. As far as fees is concerned,the overseas students will have to pay in foreign currency.

The Government had approved the policy framework in 2007 for establishing the first PIO university. The Ministry then selected the Manipal Academy of Higher Education to set up the university in Bangalore as a deemed university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act. While acquiring the land for setting up the university in Bangalore has begun,the bidding process is on for selecting partner educational trusts or societies for setting up the other four universities. The Ministry has received 18 applications and is yet to begin the screening process.

Sources said the applicants include Symbiosis,Pune,Belgaum-based Karnataka Lingayat Education Society and Muslim Education Society and St Marys Education society from Kerala. The locations for setting up the four universities are yet to be decided.

Screening will be done by a committee consisting of representatives of Ministries of Overseas Indian Affairs,Commerce,External Affairs,Finance,HRD,Health and Family Welfare,Home and Law and Justice besides some reputed academicians.

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PM Manmohan Singh in 2005 had announced plans to set up a university for PIO/NRIs to meet the aspirations of the Indian diaspora for higher education opportunities in India.