Mumbai, June 14 : Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday that National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions India as a global study destination, offering premium education at an affordable cost.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of positioning India as a global knowledge hub the country is encouraging top international universities to establish campuses here, while empowering Indian Higher education institutions to expand globally.

He was speaking at an event titled 'Mumbai Rising: Creating an International Education City' held in Mumbai to issue Letters of Intent (LoIs) to five globally reputed universities from the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States of America and Italy.

The Minister said the establishment of the branch campuses of University of York, University of Aberdeen, University of Western Australia, Illinois Institute of Technology and Instituto Europeo Di Design (IED), Italy, reflects a deep and growing trust in India's education ecosystem and is a major milestone as we mark five transformative years of the NEP 2020.

The handing of the LOIs took place in the presence of Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, Minister of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra, Chandrakant Patil, Principal Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Aseem Gupta and Secretary, Department of Higher Education and Chairman, UGC, Dr Vineet Joshi.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the swift issuance of LoIs reflects the speed and commitment of the government.

He thanked the Prime Minister for NEP 2020 which has a provision for foreign universities to be a part of Indian education sector.

The five universities, he noted, have added immense value to the State and NEP 2020 has truly opened doors for top global institutions to establish campuses in India.

He stated that talented Indian students who faced accessibility and affordability issues in pursuing foreign education can now do so while remining in the country at reduced costs.

/IANS