A Times News Network article titled “Higher Edu Scenario Bleak, Says Report” with a photograph of Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development, published in The Times of India, dated 7 November 2012 presented excerpts from the minister’s speech delivered at a “Two-Day Higher Education Summit”. Tharoor said the university system was not producing “well-educated” graduates to meet the needs of Indian companies. He talked about a proposal to establish 50 centres for research in frontier areas. The article concluded with the minister saying these centres would transform the research environment in our country.

Well, I am presenting here my experience with the most important higher educational regulatory authority, the University Grants Commission (UGC). I wish the minister would spare some time to read this.