Though the A.P. and TS governments have been emphasising on the quality of research, universities aren’t living up to expectations. So much so, that only a single State university finds a place in the top 20 in the Shodhganga project of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Shodhganga is a national repository of the Electronic Theses Dissertations (ETD) hosted by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous body promoted by the UGC. Uploading the Ph.D thesis submitted by students in the repository is mandatory since 2009 to root out plagiarism and share knowledge. JNTU Hyderabad is placed at 20{+t}{+h}position among the registered varsities with 373 dissertations submitted so far followed by Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) at 25{+t}{+h}position with 332 dissertations and Andhra University (AU) at 31{+s}{+t}position with 243 dissertations. Osmania University with submission of just 171 dissertations is at 38{+t}{+h}position and JNTU Anantapur at 42{+n}{+d}position with 148 dissertations. However, Hyderabad Central University (HCU), which is not a State university, is at 9{+t}{+h}position with 744 theses uploaded. The top five include JNU (4,433), Anna University (2,344), Mahatma Gandhi University (1,987), Bundhelkhand University (1,769) and Cochin University of Science and Technology (1,428). The Dean, UGC of Osmania University, Prof. Ravindranath said that there was a delay in uploading due to various reasons including the Telangana agitation. “Since submission of thesis in electronic format is mandatory now, we will expedite the process,” he said.
But officials, unwilling to be quoted, admitted that varsities are not showing any interest.
