The 'Visitor' of all central universities in India is the:

The President of India is the Visitor of all central universities, under the Acts of Parliament that set up these universities.

Role of the Visitor:

• The Visitor has the power to cause an inspection of the university, its buildings, teaching and examinations, and to inquire into its working.
• He can appoint the Vice-Chancellor of many central universities from a panel recommended by a search committee.
• He nominates members to certain university bodies, such as the Executive Council and the Court.
• He can annul proceedings of the university that are not in accordance with the law or the statutes.
• In practice, these powers are exercised with the help of the Ministry of Education.

Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor:

• The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of a central university and is appointed by the Visitor; he presides over convocations.
• The Vice-Chancellor is the principal executive and academic officer of the university.

State universities:

• In most state universities, the Governor of the state is the ex officio Chancellor.
• Several states have passed laws to make the Chief Minister or an academic the Chancellor instead, after disputes between Governors and state governments.

Other institutions where the President is Visitor:

• The President is also the Visitor of institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology and the National Institutes of Technology.
• The President hosts the annual Visitor's Conference with heads of central institutions.

Examples of central universities:

Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Visva-Bharati and the University of Hyderabad.

The University Grants Commission:

The UGC, a statutory body, coordinates and maintains standards of university education and gives grants.

Education in the Constitution:

• Education is in the Concurrent List, so both the Centre and the states can make laws on it.
• Coordination and standards in higher education are in the Union List.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Prime Minister, the Education Minister and the UGC Chairman are not Visitors of central universities.