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The University Grants Commission (UGC) was formally inaugurated on 28 December 1953 by the then Union Minister of Education:
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Answer: Option D — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Detailed Solution
The University Grants Commission (UGC) was formally inaugurated on 28 December 1953 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the Union Minister of Education.
Background:
The University Education Commission (1948-49), headed by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, recommended setting up a University Grants Commission on the lines of the one in Britain.
An earlier University Grants Committee had been set up in 1945 to look after the few central universities of that time.
Establishment of the UGC:
- After its inauguration in 1953, the UGC became a statutory body under the University Grants Commission Act, passed by Parliament in 1956.
- Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
Its first Chairman was Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, the scientist; he was soon succeeded by C. D. Deshmukh.
Functions of the UGC:
- It coordinates and maintains the standards of teaching, examination and research in universities.
- It gives grants to universities and colleges.
- It recognises universities and frames regulations on minimum standards of education.
- It advises the central and state governments on higher education.
- It conducts the National Eligibility Test (NET) for lecturers and research fellowships, now through the National Testing Agency.
Azad as Education Minister:
- Azad was the first Education Minister of independent India, from 1947 until his death in 1958.
- During his time, the first Indian Institute of Technology was set up at Kharagpur (1951).
- He also helped establish the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (1950).
- The Sangeet Natak Akademi (1953), the Sahitya Akademi (1954) and the Lalit Kala Akademi (1954) were established during his tenure.
- He stressed free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years, adult education and the education of women.
Recognition:
His birthday, 11 November, is observed as National Education Day.
Why not the other options?
Humayun Kabir, M. C. Chagla and K. L. Shrimali were later Education Ministers; none of them inaugurated the UGC.
Quick tip
Remember: UGC inaugurated by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (28 December 1953); statutory body under the UGC Act (1956); recommended by the Radhakrishnan Commission (1948-49).
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Organisations & Headquarters — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Organisations & Headquarters, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers national and international organisations: the United Nations and its agencies, regional groups such as SAARC, ASEAN and BRICS, global bodies such as the WHO, ILO and UNESCO, and Indian institutions, with their headquarters, founding years, members and heads. Questions typically ask where an organisation is headquartered, when it was founded, or what its full form is. For example, UNESCO is headquartered in Paris and the WHO in Geneva. Membership and leadership change over time, so pair the static facts here with current affairs for recent changes such as new members or new heads. Practise the organisations and headquarters questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.