The National Knowledge Commission, set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 to prepare a road-map for transforming India into a knowledge society, has been given an extension till March next year.
The extension has been given by the Prime Minister's Office which said the NKC should focus on 'implementation' of the recommendations which it has submitted to the government during its three-year term that is ending this month.
"We have got great deal of support from Prime Minister. He is very happy with the commission's work. He wants us to continue," NKC Chairman Sam Pitroda said on Tuesday while speaking at a seminar on 'Demography, Disparity, Development' organised by All India Management Association and NKC.
He later told reporters that a communication has been received from PMO, saying the term of NKC has been extended till March 31, 2009.
"During this period till March next year, we will see how our recommendations can be implemented. We are beginning to interact with the public on our recommendations," he said.
The NKC has also decided to start 10 different portals on different areas to help people get information on NKC and facilitate interaction.
The commission was set up by Prime Minister in October 2005. Since then the commission has been recommending to the government on areas of education, health, science, entrepreneurship, e-governance and many more.
However, Pitroda said, "The response of HRD ministry to our recommendations has been slow."
The NKC has submitted about 200 recommendations to the government, including suggestions to have a higher education regulatory authority to monitor higher education in the country.
Many of its recommendations failed to find favour with the government. "But Prime Minister has supported most our recommendations," Pitroda said.
The NKC website was getting only a few visitors, the chairman rued.
"Our website is getting less than 10,000 hits every month. Even vice chancellors and professors do not take trouble to visit our website," he said.
Pitroda said countries like Portugal and Mexico have evinced interest to set up knowledge commission of their own on the lines of NKC in India.
"It is unfortunate that NKC has not become popular in India itself while people abroad know more about it," he said.
The government must start more universities to cater to the need of students while the existing universities should be free from affiliated colleges, he said.
The graduates coming out of universities in bimaru (sick) states are very poor and not employable. The NKC has recommended to start a national mission on vocational education to address this problem, he said.
The NKC's recommendations on e-governance have not been properly implemented by the states, he said.