UGC appointed Committee for fee fixation of deemed universities

New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC), has been asked to appoint a committee to regulate the tuition fee for medical courses offered by self-financed deemed universities by the Centre.

The Human Resource and Development Ministry(HRD) in a written communiqué dated July 26 has nominated B Srinivas, Assistant Director General, Directorate of Health Services, Health Ministry and Sanjay Shrivastav, a retired professor of ophthalmology to the Committee.

The setting up of the committee is being done to comply with the orders of the Madras High Court which is presently amidst hearing a PIL seeking fixation of tuition fee charged by deemed universities offering medical courses.

Of the total 123 deemed universities in the country 30 offer medical courses. Among them are SRM University in Tamil Nadu, Manipal University, NIMHANS in Bengaluru and Jamia Hamdard University.

The PIL submission in the High Court calling deemed universities as profiteering institutions said that they were operating with the intention of amassing wealth through unfair means.

The plea has been accepted by the court that has made all deemed universities respondents to the PIL.

The court which has asked the government to appoint a panel for regulation of fee charged by deemed universities offering medical courses but the fact remains that the decision of the fee panel will abide by the final ruling on the PIL.

The UGC [Institutions Deemed to be Universities] Regulation, 2016, empowers it to fix the fee charged by deemed varsities reports TNIE.