NSE CEO Ashish Chauhan, Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu among 4 members appointed to UGC for 3 years; check details

National Stock Exchange (NSE) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ashish Kumar Chauhan and Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu have been appointed as members of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for three years, the Ministry of Education said in a notification.

The government has also appointed former Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Central University of Odisha, Sachidananda Mohanty, and VC of the National Institute of Education Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Shashikala Gulabrao Wanjari.

According to the UGC Act, 1956, the commission can have 10 members besides the chairman and vice chairman. Two of the ten members are Government of India officials. They are Higher Education Secretary Sanjay Murthy and Sanjay Prasad, Additional Secretary, Finance Ministry.

The Commission had no other members other than these four until the latest appointments.

Mr. Chauhan, who’s a former CEO of BSE, holds a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) from IIM Kolkata. He started his career with IDBI. He is also the chancellor of the University of Allahabad.

Meanwhile, Sridhar Vembu has a doctorate in electrical engineering from Princeton University. He is the CEO and co-founder of Zoho Corporation, a cloud-based business software company.

Zoho CEO’s take on competitive exams in India

In March, Vembu called out the competitive exam pressure in India, stating that it "destroys talent and creates zombified adults.”

He said that intense competition is for firms serving a market and for sports rather than for children in education. "As an employer, we have pledged to not even consider academic credentials. We are also investing in educational alternatives that are inspired by Finland," the Zoho CEO added.