In News: The Rajya Sabha passed The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019, that intends to convert India’s three deemed-to-be Sanskrit universities into Central Sanskrit Universities.
- These are
- Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi
- Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New Delhi, and
- Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati.
Salient features of the Bill
- Functions of the central sanskrit universities:
- Disseminate and advance knowledge for the promotion of Sanskrit.
- Make special provisions for integrated courses in humanities, social sciences, and science, and
- Train manpower for the overall development and preservation of Sanskrit and allied subjects.
- Prescribing courses of study and conducting training programmes.
- Granting degrees, diplomas, and certificates
- Providing facilities through a distance education system
- Conferring autonomous status on a college or an institution
- Providing instructions for education in Sanskrit and allied subjects.
- Powers
- Each University will have the following authorities
- A court, for reviewing the policies of the university and suggesting measures for its development.
- An Executive Council, which will be the principal executive body. The 15-member council will include
- The Vice-Chancellor appointed by the Centre, who will be the chairperson.
- A joint secretary of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and two eminent academics from the field of Sanskrit or allied subjects.
- The council will, among other functions, create teaching and academic posts and their appointment, and manage the revenue and property of the university.
- An Academic and Activity Council, which will supervise academic policies.
A Board of Studies, which will approve the subjects for research and recommend measures to improve standards of teaching.