Gaya: The postgraduate research council of Magadh University has made anti-plagiarism test mandatory for evaluation of dissertations and subsequent award of degrees.

A decision to this effect was taken at a council meet held a couple of days back.

Taking cue from vice-chancellor Qamar Ahsan's commitment to introduce positive improvement in the PhD course format, the postgraduate research council either rejected or kept in abeyance 28 of the 55 research proposals received from the department of physics, chemistry, mathematics, botany, geography, bio-technology and environmental sciences.

Only one of the 10 research proposals in physics was approved. The lone proposal from botany department was rejected. None of the two proposals received for research in bio-technology was approved, while the lone proposal for research in environmental science has been referred to the state pollution control board chief for opinion.

From now, the dissertation for the award of PhD degree would be subjected to online scrutiny through Shodh Ganga, a data bank of theses with more than a lakh entries. "The centralised data bank has been established for instant verification of genuineness of research papers," said VC Ahsan.

Specialised training in online verification of the contents of the submitted dissertation would be imparted to suitable personnel having the requisite domain knowledge to conduct the anti-plagiarism test, said the VC. A cell for the purpose would be established in the university's central library.

Dissertations would be forward for evaluation only after getting no-objection certificate from the anti-plagiarism cell. Besides clearance on plagiarism, a minimum 90-day attendance in the university's central library and engagement of class for an equal number of days has also been made mandatory for PhD scholars.

The Magadh University has acquired a bad name for dubious and fake degrees and in the annual meet of 2018 of the university senate, Ahsan said police from more than half a dozen states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab and Haryana, frequent the university headquarters to investigate cases in which people have obtained jobs on the basis of fake MU degrees.

The ongoing vigilance probe into PhD degrees to a large number of foreigners has revealed shocking details. According to a senior officer, privy to the ongoing probe, hundreds of foreigners, mostly from Thailand and several other South Asian countries have been awarded PhD degrees without even visiting India.

There is little evidence of such PhD degree recipients having pursued the course charted for obtaining PhD degrees, such as student visa, field study documents, local residence, arrival/departure records, NOC from competent authority and proof of academic eligibility for PhD registration, say vigilance investigation bureau sources.