Jaspal Singh Sandhu set to be new UGC vice-chairman

In a major decision, the Human Resource Development Ministry has decided to appoint Jaspal Singh Sandhu as vice chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), the fund granting arm of the ministry.

"The name of Sandhu for the coveted post has been cleared after scrutinizing over 200 applications for the post. Sandhu made it to the final list among the 17 applicants, who were called for the interview by search and selection committee of the ministry," a senior HRD official said.

The final order in this regard would be published very soon after completing some necessary formalities. According to the official, Sandhu ranked at top position among all the applicants during the interview which was conducted recently. The official further added that the ministry has started the process to recruit new chairman of the UGC.

Sandhu, who is Professor in Department of Sports Medicine & Physiotherapy, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, is currently holding the post secretary in the commission. He has held many academic and administrative posts prior to his stint at the UGC. It goes to Sandhu credit for introducing novel courses in sports sciences such as Ph.D and doctor of medicine in sports medicine, etc.