New Delhi, Feb 4 : 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)