Varsities yet to respond to UGC directive on net details

More than 350 universities are yet to provide details of their broadband and wi-fi connectivity to the university grants commission (UGC), straining the Narendra Modi government’s “Digital India” initiative.

The universities were given more than two months to furnish details about optical fibre connectivity, local area network (LAN) as well as wi-fi facility in their respective campuses.

“It is quite unfortunate to note that your esteemed university did not respond to my personal requests for sending the information,” UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu said in his letter to universities earlier this week, expressing displeasure over non-compliance of the commission’s directive issued on December 29. This is the second reminder from the higher education regulator to the universities. In his letter to vice-chancellors of these universities on February 12, the UGC secretary asked them to provide the details sought by it without any “further delay” as it did not receive any response from them.

“As emphasised in my earlier letters, the information is urgently required from university/institution regarding optical fibre, LAN and wi-fi facilities,“ Sandhu said in his latest communication to the universities.

The digital India initiatives were being monitored “at the highest level of the government of India” as such should be given the importance it deserves, he added. Besides details on broadband, LAN and wi-fi connectivity, the UGC has also asked the universities to send information on the available teacher-student strength, area of their campus, both open and covered, as well as structure built in the campus. 

All these details had been sought from the office of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is keen on bringing “digital revolution” in the country with the implementation of his pet project Digital India.