New Delhi. To promote innovation and a unique approach in the field of education, the focus of National Education Policy-2020 is on taking the exploration of knowledge to the next level. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has established the "PhD Excellence Citation" to recognize and reward exceptional research in various subjects every year. A decision to this effect was taken in the UGC meeting held on October 3.

It envisaged a scheme to award 10 citations every year to outstanding PhD scholars in fields ranging from science and engineering to social sciences and Indian languages. For this, the UGC has proposed a two-stage rigorous selection process, which includes a screening committee at the university level and a final selection committee at the UGC level.

PhD increased to 1,61,412 

Originality, contribution to the field of knowledge, clarity, impact, and overall presentation of the thesis will be considered during the evaluation. A UGC study shows that PhD admissions rose from 77,798 in 2010-11 to 1,61,412 in 2017-18.

Of these, 30 percent were in science, 26 percent in engineering and technology, 26 percent in social sciences, 12 percent in Indian languages, six percent in management, four percent in agricultural sciences, five percent in medical sciences, five percent in education, three percent in commerce and three percent in foreign languages.