University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, gives permission to the technical universities across the country to approve new Engineering colleges and regulate them.
Earlier, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi was to affiliate and regulate the technical colleges across the country.
Now, it has given permission to the affiliated Technical Universities to affiliate and regulate the new technical colleges in respective states.
Recently, UGC has framed the new regulations to the colleges affiliated to Technical Universities.
According to the AICTE Act 1987, colleges affiliated to a University do not come under the purview of the definition of "Technical Institution" as defined.
Prof H Devaraj, Vice Chairman, UGC, said, "Several academicians had sent their views and opinions to the commission's draft regulation for technical institutions based on which the apex regulator had finalised the regulations,"
"As per our new regulation 53 technical universities in the country including Anna University will be given powers to approve new engineering colleges, regulate technical education and do whatever AICTE was doing in the past. We (UGC) in turn will monitor the varsities to keep a check and balance on their functioning," he said.
Anna University Vice Chancellor, Prof M Rajaram said, "Once the UGC sends us an official communication, we will immediately constitute a panel to implement the regulations. We won't have any problem in approving new colleges or extending approval for the existing ones as we have already been inspecting all colleges as part of the affiliation process."