Head of the panel, Gopalaswami, a retired IAS officer, is currently the chairman of the Kalakshetra Foundation.
Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami who was the head of the government's Sanskrit rejuvenation plan, will head the panel to chose "20 Institutes of Eminence".
Ministry of Human Resource Development on Tuesday announced about the panel, which will also include Professors from Harvard University and University of Houston. Head of the panel, Gopalaswami, a retired IAS officer, is currently the chairman of the Kalakshetra Foundation. He has headed other government panels also, including the one recently set up to select the President's Awards in nine regional languages.
This committee, which is called the Expert Empowered Committee (EEC), will chose from a list of 104 shortlisted entries that came to the University Grants Commission (UGC), to develop as institutes of national eminence. The committee will be the final authority on making the selections.
"Consequent upon the approval of the central government and as per the UGC (Institutions of Eminence deemed to be universities) Regulations, 2017, and UGC (Declaration of Government Educational Institutions as Institutes of Eminence) Guidelines, 2017, the University Grants Commission hereby constitutes the Empowered Expert Committee," a UGC letter issued on Tuesday read.
"The committee includes — N Gopalaswami, former CEC (Chairperson) and Harvard Business School professor Tarun Khanna Jorge, Former Director of MDI Gurugram and IIM Lucknow Dr Pritam Singh, Chancellor of University of Houston Dr Renu Khator," the letter adds.
Selection of these 20 institutes is a project conceived and closely monitored by the Prime Minister's Office. With this, the government wants to catapult Indian institutions to the level of world class institutes. The nomenclature for this 'coveted' tag was earlier "World Class Institutions", but was later changed to 'Institutes of National Eminence' after discussions with the PMO.
The Centre has promised academic and administrative autonomy to the chosen institutes — 10 in private and 10 in public sector. While the public institutions will receive both funds and administrative autonomy, the private institutions will be given complete freedom from government regulators.
Of the 104 institutes in the fray for the status of 'eminence', 71 are government-funded ones including most of the IITs, IIMs, and a number of NITs. Top private institutes are also in the fray.
The EEC will recommend names of the chosen institutes to the University Grants Commission. The progress of these institutes will be reviewed once in three years for adherence to their implementation plan until they achieve the top 100 global ranking slot for two consecutive years.
The institutes will also have to inform the EEC every year about their progress and may be asked to address deficiencies or be penalised if they fail to deliver.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "IIT-Gandhinagar")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}