The Association of Indian Universities is an Apex Advisory Body on Higher Education mandated by the Ministry of Education to determine the equivalence of foreign degrees and conduct Youth Affairs & Sports Activities in the Higher Education Sector in India. At present, AIU has about1111 member Universities (Central, Institutes of National Importance, State, and Private Universities), including 18 overseas Universities, and is serving the Higher Education Sector for the last 100 years. Many national luminaries have served this organization in different capacities, and the most prominent examples are Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Dr. Zakir Hussain, and Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee, who have served as Presidents of AIU. The organization has worked as an intellectual resource of the country and has contributed to the policy processes of the government and its agencies. AIU has been annually organizing the Inter University Youth Festivals (UNIFESTS) since 1985 at the Zonal and National levels, where a large number of youth artistes from member Universities and its about 45,000 affiliated colleges participate. These festivals play a significant role in promoting in our youth a pride in Indian culture and an awareness of youth identity. AIU is the only nodal agency in the entire country for organizing the Inter University Youth Programs for about 40 million youth students of the Higher Education Sector in India. Also, this is the only establishment where the above-cited youth programs can be conceptualized and implemented for the students at the Zonal, National as well as International levels. In continuation of our endeavours and in addition to the above-mentioned youth festivals, the AIU has launched the organization of the Asian University Youth Festival (AUFEST), International Youth Festival, National Women Student Parliament, National Moot Court Competition and National Qawwali Competition, etc. From the last session, AIU has earmarked the entire country into eight zones for the smooth conduct of Youth Affairs Programs.
