New Delhi: The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced a fresh round of Vice-Chancellor appointments across several central universities while also reappointing Professor Yogesh Singh as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi (DU) for a second five-year term, effective October 8, 2026.
The appointments cover key higher education institutions across eastern and north-eastern India, including Rajiv Gandhi University (Arunachal Pradesh), the Central University of Odisha, Tripura University, and Sindhu Central University, Ladakh. The move is aimed at strengthening academic leadership, institutional governance, and the implementation of higher education reforms across central universities.
Among the new appointments, retired chemistry professor Shivaraj, formerly of Osmania University, has been named Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh for a five-year term from the date he assumes office or until attaining the age of 70, whichever is earlier.
The Ministry has appointed Ajit Kumar Shasany, Director of the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, as the new Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Odisha for a five-year term.
For Tripura University, Debabrata Das, Advisor to the Higher Education Department of the Government of Assam, has been appointed as Vice-Chancellor for a five-year tenure.
Meanwhile, Rajeev Rattan Sharma of the University of Jammu has been appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of Sindhu Central University, Ladakh, following an official communication issued by the Ministry to the Directors of IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur.
In addition, the Ministry has reappointed Professor Yogesh Singh as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi for a second consecutive term. Singh, who became the university’s 23rd Vice-Chancellor after assuming office on October 8, 2021, will continue to lead one of India’s premier higher education institutions for another five years.
According to the Ministry of Education, all appointments will remain valid for five years from the date the respective Vice-Chancellors assume office or until they attain the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
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The latest appointments reflect the Centre’s continued focus on strengthening leadership across India’s higher education ecosystem as universities implement reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, expand research capabilities, and enhance academic excellence and institutional governance.
