Seek Aadhaar authentication of students availing scholarships, UGC tells HEIs

CHENNAI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked the higher education institutions to seek Aadhaar authentication of the students, who were availing various Central scholarships following complaints of submitting fake documents.

Aadhaar authentication means the process by which the Aadhaar number along with the demographic information or biometric information of an Aadhaar number holder is submitted to the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) for its verification and such repository verifies the correctness, or the lack thereof, on the basis of the information available with it.

There are four main centrally-sponsored scholarships available, including Indira Gandhi PG scholarship for the single girl child, PG scholarship for university rank holder candidates, Ishan Uday special scheme for Northeast region and PG scholarship for professional courses for SC/ST candidates.

As the enrolment of the scholarship applications will start from November 30, a UGC, in its notification said National Scholarship Portal is one stop website for students to apply for scholarships under various schemes.

Requesting all the HEIs to appoint a nodal officer, the commission said the institutions should verify the application of the students on the portal.

UGC secretary Rajinish Jain, in his circular to all the vice-chancellors and principals, pointed out that in case, demographic authentication is not done by the nodal officers, students will be deprived of scholarship.

“In view of this, it is requested to ensure that the appointed nodal officers of your institution complete their Aadhaar authentication at the earliest,” he said adding “the nodal officers may do it by logging on the portal and clicking on ‘update profile’ at ‘administration’ tab.