Indian universities should aspire to be among top 100 globally: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made an appeal to Indian universities to aspire to be among the top 100 global universities, as he ensured special economic assistance to them to reach this goal.

Addressing the public on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Karnataka Lingayat Education Society (KLES) at Belagavi recently, Modi said he felt “ashamed” as there is no Indian university among the world’s top 100 universities.

“I invite 10 public and 10 private universities to come forward and take a pledge to make a place for themselves in the top 100 universities of the world. Those who will come forward will get special economic assistance. They will be given relaxation from seeking various approvals. There will be an open field for them,” he said.

“Research and innovation are vital for us. In the 21st century, the youth will take India to new heights. For this, we need skilled youth,” he tweeted later.

In order to help 10 public and 10 private institutions to emerge as world-class teaching institutions, the Central government had promised to enable regulatory architecture at the time of announcement of Union Budget earlier this year. Rs 1,000 crore was set aside for higher education financing in the budget.

Source: Digital Learning, 15-11-2016