The government has closed around 12 fake universities in the country since 2014. The announcement was made by Minister of State for Education Dr Sukanta Mazumdar in a written reply in Lok Sabha. The official website of the University Grants Commission (UGC) features a list of 21 fake universities and states have been asked to take action against these universities.
Replying to a question on what actions were being taken by the government against the fake universities, the minister said, "Maintenance of Law and order is a subject matter of state governments.” He informed that the central government has directed the Chief Secretaries of all the states and union territories' administrations to take legal action for the closure of the 21 fake institutions and take appropriate action against those involved in defrauding and cheating students by misrepresenting themselves as “Universities”, awarding degrees and using the word “University” with their name.
As a result, 12 fake universities have been shut since 2014, the minister added.
The government has also requested to disclose if there are other fake universities functioning in their states or UTs which are not included in the UGC list of Fake Universities.
The government has lodged FIRs against several self-styled institutions and universities, and issued show cause or warning notices to the unauthorised institutes awarding fake degrees. Besides this, list of all the fake universities is made public through social media and UGC website for cautioning the general public, students, parents, and other stakeholders.
Out of these 21 “fake universities”, a maximum of eight are running in Delhi.