UGC’s List of 21 Fake Universities in India

I have often wondered how people allowed to choose the names for their business establishments, many times bordering on absurd or even slander.  Imagine a name like ‘Ganesh Wine Shop’, or ‘St Francis Bar & Restaurant’.  Equally absurd are some of the names of colleges and Private Universities which have sprung up over the last 10 years.  If you do want a bit of fun, go through the list of 181 accredited private Universities at [www.ugc.ac.in/privatuniversity.aspx].

But when I run into a name like United Nations University, even a Dumbo like me can spot it as a fake.  It is not so with many other names.  If the List of approved Private Universities can make me laugh, a name like Indian Institute of Science and Engineering makes me want to do a B.Tech course there!  The fly in the ointment? Indian Institute of Science and Engineering equally fake.

Here is the list of 21 fake Universities operating all over India, as listed by the University Grants Commission.

1. Maithili University/Vishwavidyalaya, Darbhanga, Bihar.
2. Commercial University Ltd., Delhi.
3. United Nations University, Delhi.
4. Vocational University, Delhi.
5. ADR-Centric Juridical University, New Delhi.
6. Indian Institute of Science and Engineering, New Delhi.
7. Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society, Belgaum, Karnataka.
8. St. John’s University, Kishanattam, Kerala.
9. Kesarwani Vidyapith, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
10. Raja Arabic University, Nagpur, Maharashtra.
11. D.D.B. Sanskrit University, Putur, Trichi, Tamil Nadu.
12. Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Kolkatta.
13. Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
14. Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.
15. Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.
16. National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
17. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
18. Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi Kalan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
19. Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
20. Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad, Institutional Area, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
21. Gurukul Vishwavidyala, Vridanvan, Uttar Pradesh.

(image courtesy natgeotraveller.in/magazine/in-focus/odetoahog.html)

BTW, did you notice the link given above for the UGC List of approved Private Universities?  Does it say ‘private’ or ‘privat’?  No wonder Indian Universities do not find their place in top 100!

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