July 24, 2017
Sugata Bose asks a Question regarding setting up of 20 world-class research and teaching institutions
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Madam Speaker, I hope you will allow the Opposition at 12 PM. On that assurance, I am asking a Supplementary Question. One year ago, the Central Government had announced that they would set up 20 world-class research and teaching institutions. But we still don’t have a legal architecture for them. We heard that the HRD Minister took a proposal to the Cabinet on June 7, but it has not yet been accepted and an informal GoM has been set up.
We have read reports that the GoM has expressed concerns about the proposal which will allow 30% foreign faculty and 30% foreign students in these world-class research institutions. That should not be a problem for reservations because I am an Indian citizen teaching in a foreign University. I don’t count in the statistics of affirmative action.
So will the HRD MInister take the House into confidence as to when the final proposal will be taken to the Cabinet? Whether top academics are being consulted? And whether we can expect, before the end of this Monsoon Session we will have an architecture and legal framework for the 20 world class institutions?
