The Central Government has launched several initiatives viz. National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Impacting Research, Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT), Uchchtar Avishkar Yojna (UAY), Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in the field of education for promoting higher education and research work in the country.
Under the NIRF, Educational Institutions are ranked by an independent ranking Agency on the basis of objective criteria. The IMPRINT initiative seeks to address engineering challenges in ten technology domains through the collaborative efforts of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The objectives of UAY scheme are to promote innovation in IITs addressing issues of manufacturing industries; to spur innovative mindset; to co-ordinate action between academia & industry and to strengthen labs & research facilities. Distinguished academicians, from premier institutions across the world, are invited under the scheme of GIAN to conduct one week or two week course at Indian institutions.
Further, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is implementing following schemes for encouragement of research and doctoral work in all subjects including inter-disciplinary topics.
(i) Special Assistance Programme (SAP)
(ii) Basic Scientific Research (BSR)
Also, UGC is running a scheme namely JRF in Science, Humanities & Social Sciences with the aim to provide opportunities to National Eligibility Test (NET)/Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)- qualified candidates to undertake advanced studies and research leading to M.Phil/ Ph.D Degree in Humanities and Social Sciences including Languages and Sciences.
National Eligibility Test (NET) is conducted twice a year. The conducting of NET was outsourced to CBSE from December, 2014 onwards. In 2017 the examination was conducted in the months of January and November and the latest in July, 2018.
Presently, more than 3200 JRFs are awarded in each UGC-NET and 1500 JRFs are awarded by UGC through the Joint CSIR- UGC Test.
This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Satya Pal Singh today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.