Thiruvananthapuram: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made Aadhaar mandatory for PhD research scholars. Universities must also upload on their website details like names of supervisors, mode, topic, date of completion and fellowship in the proforma provided on the UGC site. Though it had asked universities to do so last year, many failed to follow. A meeting of the Commission also decided to publish a list of defaulters. The commission has asked them to mail their website link at scholarsinfo.uqc@qmail.com within two months.
Earlier, the UGC had asked them to post all information like the strength of students, faculty, fees collected and courses offered. Sam Sasidharan, a Calicut University research scholar told this paper that Commission’s order would be applicable only to newly-enrolled PhD scholars. The move follows the decision to make the scholarship disbursement through direct benefit transfer system. This would definetely create problems for students, Mr Sasidharan said.
Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry had earlier announced that college and university students must possess Aadhaar cards or should have undergone Aadhaar authentication in order to avail of Central Sector Scholarship Scheme. Aadhaar card has also been made mandatory for applying to NEET from 2017. Though the government has clarified that Aadhaar was not mandatory to avail of government benefits, activists claim that it’s being introduced through the backdoor tactics.
