In a letter to the chief ministers recently, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has alerted them against the possibility of fake universities admitting candidates aspiring for higher education for it being the “admission season”.
The ministry has adviced the state governments that legal action can be taken against such educational institutions under the University Grants Commission Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The UGC has identified 21 fake universities and educational institutions. Out of the 21 fake universities and institutes, 8 are in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Delhi and one each in Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has also identified 350 unapproved institutions running technical and management courses and programmes in violation of the AICTE regulations.
Out of these 350 unapproved institutions, 75 each are in Delhi and Maharashtra, 52 in Andhra Pradesh, 34 in West Bengal, 30 in Uttar Pradesh, 27 in Karnataka, 17 in Haryana, 14 in Tamil Nadu, 9 in Chandigarh, 4 in Gujarat, 3 in Punjab, 2 each in Bihar, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Goa, and one each in Uttarakhand and Kerala.
The name of such fake universities and unapproved technical institutions has been included in the list maintained by the UGC and the AICTE, respectively and is placed on their respective official websites for information to the students and general public.
Earlier in October last year, Central Bureau of Investigation filed a report in the Bombay High Court saying that more than 51,000 fake university degree certificates are in circulation in the country.
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