UP Universities Shine on Sodhganga Portal | 18 Aug 2025

Why in News? 

On University Grants Commission’s (UGC) Sodhganga portal, three universities from Uttar Pradesh secured places among the country’s Top 10 institutions in terms of uploaded research theses. 

Key Points 

• On the Shodhganga portal, which hosts over 6,20,000 theses from 840 universities nationwide, Uttar Pradesh’s institutions have emerged as significant contributors, with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Kanpur University, and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) securing prominent positions—underscoring the state’s growing emphasis on higher education, research, and academic excellence. 
• Top 10 National Universities: 
  • Anna University (17028 theses) 
  • University of Madras (15396) 
  • University of Calcutta (14837) 
  • Savitribai Phule Pune University (13403) 
  • University of Mumbai (12527) 
  • Andhra University (10736) 
  • Aligarh Muslim University (10709): 7th among top contributors (1st in UP). 
  • Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj University (10279): 8th among top contributors (2nd in UP). 
  • Panjab University (9890) 
  • Banaras Hindu University (9600): (3rd in UP). 
• Other UP Universities’ Contributions: 
  • Lucknow University: 8,683 theses 
  • Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut: 3,645 theses 
  • Bundelkhand University: 2,335 theses 
  • Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University: 1,161 theses 
  • Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow: 462 theses 

Shodhganga: A Digital Repository of Indian Theses 

• About: Shodhganga is a digital repository of Indian electronic theses and dissertations, hosted and maintained by the INFLIBNET Centre.  
  • It provides open access to M.Phil. and Ph.D. research, ensuring wider visibility, reducing duplication, and enhancing research quality across Indian universities. 
• Mandate: Under the UGC (Minimum Standards & Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree) Regulation, 2009 (amended 2016), all researchers are required to submit electronic versions of their theses to facilitate global access and preservation. 
• Significance: 
  • “Shodh” means research; “Ganga” symbolizes India’s rich cultural heritage. Together, Shodhganga represents the reservoir of Indian intellectual output. 
  • It prevents duplication of research, promotes quality, and preserves scholarly work digitally. 
• University Integration: 
  • Universities can maintain their own institutional repositories while using Shodhganga as a central backup. 
  • Metadata from distributed repositories is harvested centrally to provide unified access to all theses.