With reference to the Deakin University, which of the following statement/s is/are correct? 1. It will be the first Foreign University to enter India as an independent campus. 2. It is being set up in Maharashtra. Select the correct answer using the code given below -
- (a)Only 1
- (b)Only 2
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — A, Only 1. Statement 1 is correct: Australia's Deakin University received approval to establish the first independent branch campus of a foreign university in India. Statement 2 is wrong: the campus is being set up at GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City), Gandhinagar, in GUJARAT — not Maharashtra. So only statement 1 is correct.
- (b)Only 2 — Statement 2 is false — the campus is in Gujarat (GIFT City), not Maharashtra — so 'Only 2' cannot be right.
- (c)Both 1 and 2 — Statement 1 is right but statement 2 (Maharashtra) is wrong, so both cannot be correct.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Statement 1 is correct (Deakin is the first such foreign campus), so 'neither' is wrong.
Under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) framework flowing from NEP 2020, top foreign universities can open independent Indian campuses. Deakin University (Australia) became the first to be approved, choosing GIFT City in Gujarat — India's international financial-services and business hub.
The question tests location precision. Candidates know Deakin is 'the first foreign university campus', so statement 1 is easy; the trap is statement 2's state. GIFT City is in Gujarat, so 'Maharashtra' is the deliberate error, leaving 'Only 1' as the answer.
- Deakin University (Australia) = first foreign university approved for an independent branch campus in India.
- Campus located at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, GUJARAT — not Maharashtra.
- Enabled by NEP 2020 and the UGC regulations for foreign higher-educational institutions in India (2023).
- The University of Wollongong (Australia) was another early foreign entrant, also at GIFT City.
- Assigning GIFT City to Maharashtra instead of Gujarat.
- Confusing Deakin (first independent campus) with earlier foreign 'tie-up' or twinning programmes.
UPPSC/UPSC pair a correct 'first/what' statement with a wrong 'where' statement — the state or city is usually the trap; lock the location precisely.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The entry of foreign universities to set up independent campuses in India was enabled by which policy?
- (a)National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and UGC regulations, 2023
- (b)Right to Education Act, 2009
- (c)University Grants Commission Act, 1956 only
- (d)Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
Answer(a) NEP 2020, operationalised through the UGC's 2023 regulations for foreign higher-educational institutions.
- practice — not a real PYQ
GIFT City, the location of Deakin University's Indian campus, is situated in which state?
- (a)Maharashtra
- (b)Gujarat
- (c)Karnataka
- (d)Telangana
Answer(b) Gujarat — GIFT City is near Gandhinagar, Gujarat.