New Delhi: The Human Resource Development Ministry has constituted a five-member panel to look into the issue of fake educational degrees being sold for a premium in various parts of the country.
The committee has been entrusted to identify the institutes and the individuals who are involved in such illegal practices and suggest measures to check the menace.
The Ministry’s move to set up the committee followed a sting operation carried out by news channel CNN-News 18 to expose some premier institutes in Maharashtra and agents who are indulging in such practices.
In one operation, the news channel spoke to an agent named Swapnil Gaikwad who agreed to get the undercover reporters BA degree backdated to 2016. He also claimed that he could get engineering, law and PhD degrees but they would come at a hefty price. The asking rate was between Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
Maharashtra Higher Education Minister Vinod Tawde told the channel that he has also ordered an inquiry in the fake degree scandal.
The fake degree row, however, is not uncommon in India or confined to Maharashtra only. In the last four to five years, cases and reports of agents being caught and institutions being warned have been reported from several parts of the country. In states such as Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, the practice has been more prevalent.
According to news channels report, the high-powered committee set up has been asked to submit its report in three weeks.
The committee comprises Delhi Technological University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, former Vice-Chancellor of Bundelkhand University AC Pandey, National Judicial Academy India Additional Director (Research and Training) DP Verma former JNU professor KPS Unny and UGC Additional Secretary Dev Swarup.
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