IIMC May Soon Get Deemed University Status

If everything goes according to the plan, Indian Institute of Mass Communication will receive deemed university status soon. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has constituted a committee to study a proposal to grant the status of deemed varsity to IIMC. Currently, IIMC is functioning under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is one of the prestigious institutes in India, which offers diploma courses in advertising, journalism and public relations. According to sources, the panel comprises of four members headed by Vice Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, Mr. B.K. Kuthiala.

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Members of the UGC Panel:

• Sunita Siwach from the University Grants Commission
• Mr. G. Ravichandran, HOD of School of Journalism at the University of Madras
• Mr. Sanjay Wadwalkar, Chairperson of School of Communication at Panjab University

The responsibility of the four-member committee is to examine the proposal and submit the recommendations or suggestions to the University Grants Commission. Later, UGC will form another committee for the purpose of site visits. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had approved the plan of granting deemed varsity status to IIMC last year. Now, the move taken by UGC clearly indicates the process for granting deemed status to IIMC is underway.

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IIMC has six main campuses across the country. Earlier, Niti Aayog recommended that IIMC could be merged with either Centre for Media Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University or AKJ Mass Communication Centre of Jamia Millia Islamia. However, HRD Ministry and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected the proposal.