UGC

UGC

Topic: Governance

Context:

As part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ series of events, the Ayush Ministry will organise a ‘Surya Namaskar’ programme, which is expected to have around 75 lakh participants across the country.

In this regard, the University Grants Commission (UGC) wrote to vice-chancellors of all universities, principals of colleges and directors of higher education institutes, requesting them to take part in the initiative.

Concept:

• The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India is a statutory body set up in 1956, and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.
• Previously, UGC was formed in 1946 to oversee the work of the three Central Universities of Aligarh, Banaras and, Delhi. In 1947, a committee was entrusted with the responsibility of dealing with all the then existing Universities.
• After independence, the University Education Commission was set up in 1948 under the Chairmanship of S. Radhakrishnan and it recommended that the UGC be reconstituted on the general model of the University Grants Commission of the United Kingdom.
• The UGC was however, formally established in November 1956, by an Act of Parliament as a statutory body of the Government of India.

Important functions performed by the commission:

• It provides recognition to universities in India.
• It oversees distribution of grants to universities and colleges in India.
• It provides scholarships/fellowships to beneficiaries.
• It monitors conformity to its regulations by universities and colleges.