The President of India, Visitor to central universities, has finalised the appointments of vice chancellors in 12 varsities, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.These also include the North-Eastern Hill University (Shillong), Manipur University, Assam University (Silchar), Guru Ghasidas University (Chhattisgarh), Sagar University (Madhya Pradesh), two Sanskrit universities in Delhi, two central universities each in Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir, and one varsity each in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.“A total of 22 posts of vice chancellors (VCs) in central universities, under this ministry, are vacant, out of which appointments to 12 posts have already been finalised by the Visitor. The incidence and filling up of vacancies of VCs in universities is a continuous process,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, said in a written reply, in the Upper House.He, however, did not name the universities for which the VC appointments have been finalised.“The process of appointment of vice chancellors in central universities is a time-consuming exercise which involves getting the Executive Council and court’s nomination of the central university concerned, constitution of search-cum-selection committee, advertisement of posts, scrutiny of applications, interaction with shortlisted candidates, getting vigilance clearances, approval of the competent authority, among others, hence, no time-frame can be indicated,” Pradhan underlined.The central varsities currently without any regular VCs include leading educational institutions like the Banaras Hindu University, Delhi University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University.Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet has given its nod to the setting up of a Central University (CU) in the union territory of Ladakh.The decision was taken at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an aim of addressing regional imbalances in higher education level and stimulating the intellectual current within the broader society of Ladakh.“Welcome PM Shri @narendramodi’s approval for establishing a central university in Ladakh. This will remove regional imbalances in higher education in line with the NEP and open new opportunities for the youth,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted.“Being built with a cost of ?750 crore, the central university in Ladakh will help ignite the intellectual prowess of the local youth, facilitate creation of a knowledge-based society and promote overall growth and development of Ladakh, Leh & Kargil regions,” he added.According to sources, a bill will be introduced for amending the Central Universities Act, 2009.“The Cabinet also approved the introduction of a bill, namely, ‘The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ in Parliament. This would increase access and quality of higher education and also act as pace setter for other educational institutions in the region by promoting the avenues of higher education and research facilities for the people of the Union Territory.“The university will address the regional imbalances at the higher education level and stimulate the intellectual current within the broader society of Ladakh. This will also be instrumental in strengthening democratic values and promoting overall growth and development of Ladakh,” a source said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on last Independence Day had announced that a new university would be established in Ladakh. The Union finance Minister had also announced about it in the Budget Speech 2021-22.
