Ensuring security of students a priority: Shashi Tharoor

CHENNAI: With a top US official reportedly indicating that frequent instances of rapes in India could possibly be a factor in American students keeping away from the country, government today said if there was such a concern it should be addressed and stressed that ensuring security of students was a priority.

Union Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor said there were various reasons, including that Indian universities lacked the reputation to attract foreigners, behind foreign students not coming to India.

There was a "lot of pressure" from Indian students feeling that there were not enough seats for them even as very few seats were set aside for foreigners in Indian institutions, he told reporters on the sidelines of a convocation function at Sri Ramachandra University here.

"The second thing is that many of our universities don't yet have an international reputation to attract foreign students. On the other issue of security and so on, obviously if there is concern for some people, it should be addressed.

"We have every desire to keep our own people safe and any foreigner coming to our country should also be allowed to feel safe," he said.

US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell during an interaction with students at Ranchi had reportedly said the concerns over personal security to women as a result of the rape cases could perhaps be a reason for them not coming to India for studies.

To a question on setting up IIT in his native state Kerala, Tharoor said, "It is not likely to happen in the lifetime of the present government.