Jio Institute row: HRD Ministry issues clarification after Institution of Eminence tag

The Union HRD Ministry on Monday awarded Institute of Eminence status to three public and three private institutes. In the private university category, proposed Jio Institute in Navi Mumbai has sparked controversy. The Ministry has been criticised for their move and therefore, they have come up with clarification on the inclusion of Jio Institute on the list.

As per the release, the Jio Institute has been awarded the tag under the greenfield category for new or proposed institutions that are yet to come into existence. In a tweet, the ministry stated — In response to some misinformation campaign in social media regarding “Institutes of Eminence”, please find herewith clarifications on commonly raised questions.

The detailed response clears that “clause 6.1 of the UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulation, 2017 provides for a completely new proposal to establish an institution to be considered under this project.” 

The HRD Ministry further stated that the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC), which was entrusted to find 20 institutions out of 114 applicants, could only identify 11, of which six have been awarded the eminence tag.

The parameters for setting up Greenfield institutions includes — availability of land for construction of the institution, putting in place a core team with very high qualification, making available funding for setting up the institution and a strategic vision plan with clear annual milestones and action plan.

Besides Jio Institute, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), BITS-Pilani and Manipal Academy of High Education have received the IES tag.
News Source (Indian Express)