IISc, IIT-M, IIM-A top HRD ministry ranking

In the university category, IISc stood first, followed by JNU and BHU.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru was adjudged the overall best institution in the country by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry's national ranking framework.

Announcing the rankings at an event at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) has been adjudged the best engineering college and the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) the best management institution.

According to the national institutional ranking framework, Delhi University's Miranda House was the best college, followed by St Stephen's College, which participated in the ranking process for the first time.

In the university category, IISc stood first, followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

In a first, medical, architecture and law colleges were also ranked by the ministry.

While AIIMS was adjudged the best medical college, IIT-Kharagpur and National Law School of India University, Bengaluru topped in architecture and law categories, respectively.

Among the top 10 institutes in the overall category were IISc, six IITs in Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur and Roorkee, JNU, BHU and Anna University in Chennai.

The Indian Institute of Science was established in 1909 by a visionary partnership of industrialist Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the Maharaja of Mysore and the government of India, according to its official website.

Since its inception, the institute has laid a balanced emphasis on the pursuit of basic knowledge in science and engineering, as well as on the application of its research findings for industrial and social benefit.

In the words of its founder, J N Tata, the objectives of the institute are 'to provide for advanced instruction and to conduct original investigations in all branches of knowledge as are likely to promote the material and industrial welfare of India'.

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali; Jamia Hamdard and Panjab University were ranked as top colleges for study of pharmacy.

In the third edition of the rankings, a total of 2,809 institutions have participated in nine categories -- overall, universities, engineering, colleges, management, pharmacy, medical, architecture and law.

Collectively they have submitted 3,954 distinct profiles, some in multiple disciplines/categories.

This includes 301 universities, 906 engineering institutions, 487 management institutions, 286 pharmacy institutions, 71 law institutions, 101 medical institutions, 59 architecture institutions and 1087 general degree colleges.

"The parameters used for India Rankings 2018 are broadly similar to those used in previous years. However, some of the sub-parameters have been further tweaked for greater robustness and accuracy. In particular for evaluating Research Impact, parameters for quality of publications have been enhanced to include the number of highly cited papers," a senior HRD Ministry official said.

The HRD Ministry has made participation by public institutions in the national institutional ranking framework (NIRF) mandatory from next year, Javadekar announced on Tuesday.

"And, those public institutions which will not take part in it will face fund cut," the human resource development (HRD) minister said.