The committee for the establishment of a national open university was headed by

Concept: A policy committee studies whether a proposed institution is needed and recommends its design; the later statute legally creates the institution. The committee chair and the university’s first Vice-Chancellor are therefore different roles.

Application: In the mid-1970s, the Government of India appointed a committee under G. Parthasarathy to examine the feasibility of a national open university. The committee recommended establishing such a university, while the proposal was revived later and Parliament ultimately created IGNOU through the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985.

Contrast — the other names belong to different roles:

• G. Rami Reddy was the founding Vice-Chancellor of Andhra Pradesh Open University and later the first Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU; those were university-leadership posts after an institution had been created.

• Hari Gautam served as Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University and later chaired the University Grants Commission; these were university and regulatory roles.

• K. L. Srimali served as Union Education Minister and later as Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University; these were ministerial and university-administration roles.

Result: G. Parthasarathy headed the committee formed to consider the establishment of a national open university.