NSE CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan, Zoho's Sridhar Vembu appointed UGC members 

A technocrat from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Chauhan was earlier MD and CEO of BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange).

The University Grants Commision (UGC) has appointed managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Ashish Kumar Chauhan, and Zoho Corporation CEO Sridhar Vembu as the members for a period of three years.

The government also appointed two other members to the higher education regulator— Central University of Odisha’s former vice chancellor Sachidananda Mohanty and National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), New Delhi, VC Shashikala Gulabrao Wanjari, the Ministry of Education (MoE) said in an April 10 notification.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (c) of Sub-Section (3) of Section 5 read with clause (c) of Sub-Section (1) of Section 6 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956), the Central Government hereby appoints the following persons as Members of the University Grants Commission with immediate effect, for a term of three years or till further orders, whichever is earlier… ,” the notification read.

A technocrat from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Chauhan was earlier MD and CEO of BSE, formerly Bombay Stock Exchange. He started his career as a banker with IDBI.

Zoho founder Vembu has been vocal about the need for changes in the education landscape and in March, had called for a renewed mindset and urged India's population to move away from putting "ultra-competitive exam pressure on children and young adults".

Replying to a FITJEE advertisement on X, formerly Twitter, Vembu said pressure at a young age can kill talent and make "zombified adults" which, in turn, could lead to a "rat race to extinction".