Govt initiates legal action against 21 fake universities operating across India

The government has requested that the state governments take legal action against the 21 "fake universities" that are operating across the nation. Up to eight of these 21 "fake universities" are operating in Delhi.

In the Lok Sabha, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan made the announcement.

The list can be found on the University Grants Commission's (UGC) website: https://www.ugc.gov.in/universitydetails/Fakeuniversity.

The ministry is taking action against these organizations that pose as "universities" in order to swindle and cheat students.

According to the minister, the UGC and government have taken further measures to combat "fake universities" in addition to warning the public, students, parents, and other stakeholders through social media and the UGC website.

Sukanta Majumdar, the Minister of State for Education, informed the Lok Sabha that the Department of Higher Education's budget allocation for 2024–2025 increased by ₹2875.29 crore overall compared to 2023–2024.

In 2024–2025, the department's overall budget was ₹47,619.77 crore, whereas in 2023–2024, it was ₹44,744.48 crore.

In response to a query regarding public spending on higher education in Rajasthan, Majumdar said that three centrally funded higher education institutions in the state—IIT Jodhpur, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, and Central University of Rajasthan—had received a total of ₹556.86 crore in FY 2024–25 through Nov 30, 2024.

Majumdar added that ₹535.99 crore has been allocated for the establishment of IIIT Kota and IIM Udaipur in Rajasthan.