‘Institute of Eminence’ scheme for higher edu institutions shelved? No fresh applications accepted, say officials

New Delhi: The Ministry of Education has reportedly abolished the scheme to grant ‘Institute of Eminence’ status to leading higher education institutions in the country. This was indicated by ministry officials, who said that fresh applications for the status are not being accepted. Incidentally, applications from even major institutions, such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), have been pending with the ministry for several years.

The scheme was announced in 2017 to grant status to 20 top educational institutions in India, after which six institutions were designated as ‘Institutes of Eminence’ in 2018. The six institutions are IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Banaras Hindu University, Hyderabad University, Delhi University, BITS Pilani, Manipal Institute of Higher Education, O P Jindal Global University, Haryana, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida.

Another six institutions gained the recognition in 2021. However, the high-level committee that evaluates the applications and selects the institutions has not met since 2021. At the same time, an official order on ending the scheme has yet to be issued by the ministry. Meanwhile, officials at the ministry said that there is no plan to convene a meeting of the selection committee or grant recognition to new institutions.

Initially, the ministry had planned to grant the status to 20 institutions – 10 each in the government and private sectors. Government institutions earning the status were promised an additional aid of up to ₹1,000 crore over five years, along with academic-administrative autonomy. Although private institutions were assured of self-governance, financial aid was not suggested. While the Union Budget had allocated around ₹10,000 crore in the five previous budgets for institutions in the government sector, only ₹6,199 crore had been allotted as of December 31, 2024.

When the first list was announced in 2018, the inclusion of the Jio Institute, an institution that had not yet been established, created controversy. But Jio lost its status later.