Indian Inst of Mass Communication granted deemed univ status, can award degrees

New Delhi: The Education ministry, on the advice of the University Grants Commission, has notified the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi, along with its five regional campuses as deemed to be university under distinct category.

The five regional campuses are in Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), Amravati (Maharashtra), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kottayam (Kerala) and Dhenkanal (Odisha). The IIMC is now authorised to grant degrees.

IIMC had submitted an application on May 29, 2017 to get the status of institution deemed to be university under “de novo” (or new) category. In November 2022, in line with the New Education Policy, 2020, the “de novo” category was replaced with “distinct” to impose lighter regulations on the institutions.

IIMC, New Delhi, must comply with the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023, within six years of this notification, that is, by February 1, 2030, the notification said.

It added that the institution cannot engage in any commercial or profit-making activities, and must participate in the annual rankings issued by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). It must also “compulsorily create an Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), identities of their students and upload their credit score in digital lockers and ensure that the credit scores are reflected in ABC Portal and adopt Samarth e-Gov”.

In 2018, an expert committee under the UGC examined IIMC’s application and visited the campus in May 2018. The committee recommended that deemed to be university under “de novo” category status be granted to IIMC on fulfilment of certain conditions. On November 15, 2018, in its letter of intent to the institute, the Education ministry listed six conditions that needed to be fulfilled within three years. These included setting up post-graduate departments in emerging areas of knowledge. IIMC, New Delhi, had asked for an extension due to the pandemic. Eventually, IIMC, in a letter dated December 5, 2023, submitted its compliance report with the six conditions.

The institute established under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, on 17 August 1965, is one of the premier institutions of its kind in the country, providing quality training in journalism and undertaking meaningful research in the field of media and mass communication, Press Trust of India said in a report.

The IIMC is also the training academy for Indian Information Service (IIS) officers, the report said.