Guidelines for Nodal Institutions
Key points of the D.O. letter of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, D.O. No. 16-2/2026-Skt.I (Pt.), dated 31 Oct 2026, on the Students' Engagement Programme of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 5.0.
Evaluation Committee for the selection of the Participating Institutions
Standard Operating Procedure, Annexure-V of the letter
Only the applications found eligible after scrutiny (identity, location, recognition/affiliation, AISHE/Institution Code where applicable, official contact details and the approval of the competent institutional authority) are placed before the Evaluation Committee; curable deficiencies may be corrected within the notified scrutiny period.
- Constitution of the Committee: The Head of each Nodal Institution shall constitute an Evaluation Committee.
- Members of the Committee: The Committee shall consist of at least three members, including the State/UT Nodal Officer.
- Evaluation process: The Committee shall evaluate all eligible applications and award marks according to the criteria and scoring parameters in Paragraph 3 of the Standard Operating Procedure.
- Authentication: All members of the Committee shall sign the evaluation sheets.
- Approval: The Committee shall recommend the selected list and the reserve list for approval by the competent authority of the Nodal Institution.
Selection criteria (Paragraph 3)
| # | Selection criteria (Paragraph 3) | Maximum marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Institutional readiness | 20 |
| 2 | Proposed student outreach | 20 |
| 3 | Academic engagement with the Thirukkural | 20 |
| 4 | Geographical representation | 20 |
| 5 | Institutional and disciplinary diversity | 20 |
Total: 100 marks. Recommended qualifying benchmark: 60 marks.
Rank the eligible institutions in descending order of total marks and select only the number prescribed for the State/UT in Annexure-I, with a reserve list of ordinarily up to 20 per cent of that number.
Keep the registration records, the evaluation sheets, the approved selected list, the reserve list and the evidence of approval by the competent authority.
Replacement
If a selected institution declines, remains non-responsive or fails to nominate a student by the notified deadline, the next eligible institution from the approved reserve list may be included. Every replacement is recorded with reasons and approved by the State/UT Nodal Officer or the competent authority before it is communicated to CICT.
A Nodal Institution may adopt its own transparent and objective methodology for the selection, keeping in view the objectives and broad principles of the Standard Operating Procedure; the methodology adopted is documented and communicated to CICT.
KTS 5.0 – Key dates
Registration and selection
- Up to 15 Nov 2026Last date for the registration of institutions
- 16 Nov 2026 – 17 Nov 2026Selection of the Participating Institutions by the Nodal Institutions
- By 19 Nov 2026Thirukkural assessment of the interested students by each Participating Institution
- 20 Nov 2026Each Participating Institution nominates one student on merit through the CICT portal
Online programme
- 28 Nov 2026Inaugural function of KTS 5.0
- 12 Dec 2026Valedictory function of KTS 5.0
- All Nodal Institutions, Participating Institutions and nominated students will join online. The joining links will be shared separately.
- All participants will receive a certificate of participation from CICT.
Research and submission
- By 14 Dec 2026Academic orientation and study material from CICT
- 15 Dec 2026 – 14 Jan 2027One-month research and writing period
- By 14 Jan 2027Last date to submit the research work and reports
On the portal
For any clarification or coordination on the programme: Dr. R. Bhuvaneshwari, Registrar, Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai · registrar@cict.in · 9790325518 / 9965734497
Questions? Write to kts@cict.in or call 044-22540125.
