New Delhi: The Centre is exploring ways on allowing students, who had to leave their studies in foreign institutes due to the Covid-19 outbreak, to pursue the same in India.

A Committee Chaired by University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman D.P. Singh will explore possibilities of Universities increasing their intake students and starting multi-disciplinary and innovative programmes, facilitating online lectures by eminent faculty from abroad and twinning or joint degree programmes.

As many as 7.5 lakh students had travelled abroad for higher studies during 2019 and several of them had returned to India due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The Committee will present its report within 15 days.

“Due to Covid-19 situation, many students who wanted to pursue studies abroad have decided to stay back and pursue their studies in India. There are also a rising number of Indian students returning to India with concern about completion of their studies,” HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said at a brainstorming session on ‘Stay in India and Study in India’.