An open letter to University Grants Commission

This is with reference to the (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) (2nd Amendment), Regulations, 2013, w.e.f. June 13, 2013, the following has been observed by our Federation.

It has come to our notice that as per page no. 27 of the Gazette of India: Extraordinary (Part III–Section 4) under the heading of Amended Category–III: Research and Academic Contributions in point III (B), it is implied that to evaluate an author’s work he/she is given 50 marks if his/her work is published by a foreign publisher or an MNC (International) publisher. If the work is published by an Indian publisher (25 marks if from Government organisation and 15 marks if from other private Indian publishers) during interviews taken by the UGC for fresh employment or promotion purposes.

We at the Federation feel that the above mentioned clauses are utterly indiscriminatory and unfortunate when the present government’s slogan is ‘Make in India’. Such rules and regulations are out of date and need to be amended so that Indian authors and publishers are not discriminated as of such obsolete rules and regulations.

–RK Gupta, president,
The Federation of Educational Publishers in India