Srinagar, December 14, 2025: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday chaired the 84th meeting of the University Council of the University of Kashmir at Lok Bhavan, Srinagar.
As Chancellor of the University, the Lieutenant Governor emphasized the introduction of contemporary, interdisciplinary and skill-oriented academic programmes in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He underlined the need for greater focus on innovation, employability and entrepreneurship, while ensuring that academic initiatives respond to local and regional developmental requirements. The Chancellor also called for strengthening integrated and professional programmes to meet emerging academic and industry demands.
The University Council accorded in-principle approval to several academic and administrative proposals, including adoption of a revised policy mechanism for admission of foreign national students, change of nomenclature of the Department of Earth Sciences to the Department of Geology, and introduction of five-year integrated master’s programmes in Applied Geology, Tourism and Travel Management, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and Home Science.
Approval was also granted to the Programme Project Report for M.A. History to be offered through the Centre for Distance and Online Education. The Council extended Merit and Merit-cum-Means scholarship schemes to students enrolled in five-year integrated programmes and approved regulations governing such programmes, including Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Recommendations of the Deans’ Committee regarding adoption of statutes governing the Ph.D. programme were also discussed.
The Council approved modifications in statutes governing Undergraduate Programmes (UGP-2022) concerning nomenclature of degrees under NEP-2020 and adoption of standardized formats for certificates, diplomas and degrees. It also approved the introduction of a two-year Diploma in Calligraphy as a joint academic programme between the Institute of Music and Fine Arts, University of Kashmir, and the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
Further in-principle approvals were accorded for establishment of an Institute of Nursing and Paramedical Sciences at the Kupwara Campus, introduction of a Diploma Programme in Criminal Justice through the Centre for Distance and Online Education, and a five-year integrated master’s programme at the Media Education Research Centre.
The Council also approved proposals for five-year integrated master’s programmes in Hindi, Linguistics and English Language Teaching, Persian, Sanskrit and Kashmiri, noting that these initiatives would promote multilingual education, cultural preservation and advanced studies in classical and regional languages.
Detailed deliberations were held on academic, regulatory and institutional matters aimed at strengthening governance and enhancing the quality of teaching, learning and research. Earlier, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nilofer Khan presented the agenda items and briefed the Council on the University’s academic, research and institutional achievements. On the occasion, the University of Kashmir signed a memorandum of understanding with Siddharth University, Uttar Pradesh, to promote academic collaboration in research and education.
The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah; Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu, Prof. Umesh Rai; Vice-Chancellor, Cluster University Srinagar, Prof. Mohammad Mobin; Vice-Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu, Prof. K.S. Chandrasekar; Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department, Shantmanu; Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Santosh D. Vaidya; Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari; Administrative Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, Dr. Ashish Chander; Vice-Chancellor, Siddharth University, Prof. Kavita Shah; Prof. A.S.K. Sinha; Registrar, University of Kashmir and Secretary to the University Council, Prof. Naseer Iqbal; Dean, School of Business Studies, Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad Darzi, along with other Council members and senior officials, both in person and through virtual mode.
