(a) whether the Government proposes to take fresh initiatives to make India a knowledge
hub in the foreseeable future;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the manner in which Universities, State Governments and other stakeholders are likely
to be involved in the process?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. D. PURANDESWARI)
(a) to (c): Creation of new knowledge and its dissemination are critical to the progress and
development of our society. Strengthening of existing higher educational institutions as well
as creation of new knowledge based institutions striving for quality and excellence in research
constitute the core of achieving the objective of making India a knowledge hub.
During the 11th Five Year Plan, a large number of new institutions – Central Universities,
Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, National Institutes of Technology,
Indian Institutes for Science Education & Research, Schools of Planning & Architecture – have
been established.
The Government has introduced the ‘Universities for Research and Innovation Bill, 2012’ in Parliament.
The Bill aims to provide for the establishment and incorporation of Universities for Research and
Innovation to promote synergies between teaching and research and to create institutions
universally recognised for quality in teaching, learning and research. These Universities aim to be
at the fount of making India a global knowledge hub and set benchmarks for excellence for other
institutions of higher learning. The Bill also provides for conversion of existing Universities
into Universities for Research and Innovation.
Apart from the above, in order to reform higher education, legislative proposals for prohibiting
unfair practices in higher educational institutions; for making accreditation mandatory and for
regulating the entry and operations of foreign educational institutions, have been introduced in
Parliament. Another legislation, to create an overarching body to regulate higher education
holistically, keeping in mind the increasingly converging nature of disciplines and to explore
the opportunities of knowledge creation that lie at the intersections of existing disciplines,
has been introduced in Parliament.
All the above initiatives have been formulated through a process of wide ranging discussions,
debates and consultations with all stake holders, including universities and State Governments.