New Delhi: The University Grants Commission has been helping universities and colleges thorough several general as well as specific schemes to keep pace with the developments in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Under the programme of the UGC-INFONET Internet Connectivity, as many as 157 Universities have so far been provided Internet of bandwidth ranging from 256 Kbps to 2 Mbps. The task of establishing and maintaining the entire network is being done by the ERNET India on turn-key basis.

Under National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) there is a proposal to connect all universities with National Knowledge Network (NKN), wherein they would be on a Virtual Private Network. The connectivity could be used in various ways for communication among universities and with outside world. The connectivity could also enable video conferencing if video conferencing equipments are installed by universities from various sources, including private sources, based on transparent selection processes at their level. The connected computers of the universities can also be used for software based audio visual communication.

This information was given by the Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Kapil Sibal, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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