M Jagadesh Kumar served as the UGC chairperson from January 14, 2017 to February 2, 2017. Source: Twitter
The vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), M Jagadesh Kumar, has been appointed as the chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), a senior official from the Union ministry of education has said.
While no notification regarding Kumar’s appointment was issued on the website of the ministry of education by the time this report was filed, the official from the ministry said that Kumar has been appointed as the UGC chief for a period of five years.
"The Central government has appointed M Jagadesh Kumar as UGC Chairman for a period of five years or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is the earliest," the official told PTI.
The position of UGC chairman fell vacant on December 7 after D P Singh, who had taken charge in 2018, resigned upon turning 65-year-old. The post of the vice-chairman of the higher education regulator is also vacant.
Kumar, who was made the vice-chancellor of JNU in January 2016, is widely regarded for his knowledge in electronic engineering and associated areas. He currently holds the charge of acting vice-chancellor of JNU following the end of his tenure last year. The ministry of education is yet to appoint Kumar’s successor for JNU.
Born in Telangana, Kumar obtained MS(EE) and PhD (EE) degrees from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He was a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering in IIT Delhi before taking charge as the vice chancellor of JNU.
This is the second time he has been given the charge of chairman of UGC. Kumar served as the UGC chairperson from January 14, 2017 to February 2, 2017. He was also a member of UGC for three years from June 24, 2016 to June 23, 2019.