Shortly after Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar congratulated Jio Institute, an initiative of the Reliance Foundation, on Monday for receiving the tag of 'Institution of Eminence', criticism erupted on social media against the decision.
Several critics pointed to arbitrary considerations motivating the Narendra Modi government to nominate an institution that was not yet in existence.
The BJP Govt favours Mukesh & Nita Ambani yet again. The illusionary JIO Institute which is yet to see the light of day has been declared as an 'eminent' institute. The Govt needs to clarify the basis of classification for granting such a status.#SuitBootSarkar https://t.co/owxlh7Kgev
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 9, 2018
The Congress tweeted on Monday night “the BJP Govt favours Mukesh & Nita Ambani yet again. The illusionary JIO Institute which is yet to see the light of day has been declared as an 'eminent' institute.” The tweet was surprising as the Congress has generally shied away from directly targeting Reliance and the Ambani family.
Yashwant Sinha, former Union minister and a senior BJP leader before he left the party in April, also slammed the decision to bestow the recognition on Jio Institute. He tweeted, “Jio Institute has not even been set up. It is not in existence. Yet govt grants it eminence tag. That is the importance of being M Ambani.”
On Monday night as criticism mounted over the decision and #JioInstitute began trending on Twitter, the Ministry of Human Resource Development issued a clarification on how Jio Institute received 'Institution of Eminence' status. The MHRD tweeted the clarification was in response to a “misinformation campaign”.
In response to some misinformation campaign in social media regarding "Institutes of Eminence", please find herewith clarifications on commonly raised questions #InstituteofEminence pic.twitter.com/K6IB5ILpfb
— Ministry of HRD (@HRDMinistry) July 9, 2018
The MHRD explained greenfield institutions could get the 'Eminence' tag if they met the following criteria: having availability of land for construction of the institution, a core team with requisite qualifications and experience, adequate funding and strategic vision and plan. The MHRD noted Jio Institute had met all four parameters.