400 foreign academicians invited to teach in India: Mukherjee

President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the government has invited 400 foreign academicians to teach in India.

"To enable increased interaction between foreign faculty and our students, under the aegis of GIAN, my government has in the first cycle invited 400 foreign academicians to teach in India," he said.

The president was addressing a joint sitting of both houses of parliament -- Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha -- marking the commencement of the budget session.

He also said that two Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), six Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), one Indian Institute of Science Education and Research and one National Institute of Technology have started functioning.

Mukherjee also added that through the launch of Imprint India, scientific areas have been identified in 10 fields of research ranging from defence to sustainable living.

"Government has given impetus to research through the launch of Imprint India whereby scientific goalposts have been identified in 10 fields of research ranging from defence to sustainable living," he said.

"National Institutional Ranking Framework has been launched for higher educational institutions. The National Scholarship Portal provides a one-stop platform for applications of all scholarships," he added.