New Delhi, Feb. 4 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee will host a conference of vice chancellors of central universities for which he is visitor at the Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow.

Vice chancellors of 40 central universities will participate in the conference.

The agenda of the conference includes steps required to improve the quality of education and faculty in central universities to bring it on par with the top universities of the world, steps needed to extend the reach of education through extension work in contiguous areas, use of national knowledge network effectively in the central universities and suggestions to improve the visitor-university interface within the existing statutory framework of each central university.

The last conference of vice chancellors convened by the President was in 2003 during tenure of Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Union Human Resource Development Minister Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju and Ministers of State for Human Resource Development will participate in the conference.

Chairman, National Innovation Council and Chairman, University Grants Commission will also participate in the conference.

List of Vice Chancellors attending the conference is as follows:

1. Aligarh Muslim University Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Zameer Uddin Shah,PVSM,SM, VSM.

2. Allahabad University Prof. A.K. Singh

3. Assam University Prof. Somnath Dasgupta

4. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Prof. R.C. Sobti

5. Banaras Hindu University Dr. Lalji Singh

6. Central University of Bihar Prof. Janak Pandey

7. Central University of Gujarat Prof. R.K. Kale

8. Central University of Haryana Prof. Mool Chand Sharma

9. Central University of Himachal Pradesh Prof. Furqan Qamar

10. Central University of Jammu Dr. S.S. Bloeria

11. Central University of Jharkhand Prof. D.T. Khathing

12. Central University of Karnataka Prof. S.S. Murthy

13. Central University of Kashmir Prof. Abdul Wahid

14. Central University of Kerala Dr. Jancy James

15. Central University of Orissa Prof. (Dr.) Surabhi Banerjee

16. Central University of Punjab Prof. Jai Rup Singh

17. Central University of Rajasthan Prof. M.M. Salunkhe

18. Central University of Tamil Nadu Prof. B.P. Sanjay

19. Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya Prof. N.S. Gajbhiye

20. Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya Prof. Lakshman Chaturvedi

21. Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University Prof. S.K. Singh

22. Indira Gandhi National Open University Prof. Gopinath Pradhan

23. Indira Gandhi National Tribal University Prof. C.D. Singh

24. Jamia Millia Islamia Dr. Najeeb Jung

25. Jawaharlal Nehru University Prof. Sudhir Kumar Sopory

26. Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya Dr. Vibhuti Narain Rai

27. Manipur University Prof. H. Nandkumar Sarma

28. Maulana Azad National Urdu University Prof. Mohammad Miyan

29. Mizoram University Prof. R. Lalthanluanga

30. Nagaland University Prof. Bolin Kumar Konwar

31. North Eastern Hill University Prof. A.N. Rai

32. Pondicherry University Prof. Chandra Krishnamurthy

33. Rajiv Gandhi University Prof. Tamo Mibang

34. Sikkim University Prof. Tanka Bahadur Subba

35. Tezpur University Prof. Mihir K. Chaudhuri

36. The English and Foreign Languages University Prof. Dr. Sunaina Singh

37. Tripura University Prof. Arunoday Saha

38. University of Delhi Prof. Dinesh Singh

39. University of Hyderabad Prof. R. Ramaswamy

40. Visva Bharati Prof. Sushanta Duttagupta. (ANI)