The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently published a list of universities that have failed to appoint ombudspersons. The commission issued an official notification disclosing the names of these universities. According to the notification, approximately 159 state universities have neglected to appoint ombudspersons despite multiple reminders. Additionally, the list includes around 67 private universities and 2 deemed to be universities.
The universities were informed by the commission on April 11, 2023 about the appointment of ombudspersons.
The official notification by the UGC read, "UGC has notified the University Grants Commission (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023 in the Official Gazette on 11 April 2023 (available on UGC website). The Universities were requested to appoint Ombudsperson(s) within 30 days of the notification of the Regulations vide letter dated 12 April 2023. This was followed with several reminders. ln the previous communication dated 5 December 2023, the universities were again requested to appoint Ombudsperson(s) and implement other provisions of UGC Regulations by 31 December 2023. It was also mentioned that the list of universities not complying with these requirements would be published on the UGC website."
The list includes various universities such as Andhra Pradesh Fisheries University, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya in Madhya Pradesh, Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technology in Telangana, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya in Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat National Law University, among others. The complete list of universities is here.
Universities that have already appointed or plan to appoint an ombudsperson can then share all the necessary information about the ombudspersons via email, as provided by the UGC.
