D.O. letter of the Ministry of Education, 31 October 2026: Students' Engagement Programme under KTS 5.0 (revised Annexure-I and timeline)

D.O. No. 16-2/2026-Skt.I (Pt.) of 31 October 2026 from the Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, to the Vice-Chancellors/Directors of the Nodal Higher Educational Institutions, revising the letter of 9 October 2026 on the nationwide Students' Engagement Programme of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 5.0 (28 November – 12 December 2026). The letter with its annexures is attached. Annexure-I: the State/UT-wise list of the Nodal Higher Educational Institutions and the final number of Participating Institutions to be selected by each, 1,000 in all. Registration is open to institutions without any State/UT-wise ceiling; registration does not by itself confer selection. Annexure-III, the revised timeline: • Up to 15 November 2026: registration of interested institutions on this portal; wide outreach by the Nodal Institutions. • 16–17 November 2026: scrutiny and selection of the Participating Institutions by the Nodal Institutions, as per Annexure-I, with a reserve list (SOP at Annexure-V). • By 19 November 2026: each selected Participating Institution completes the assessment of its interested students. • 20 November 2026: each Participating Institution nominates one student on merit through this portal. • 28 November 2026: inaugural function of KTS 5.0; 12 December 2026: valedictory function. All Nodal Institutions, Participating Institutions and nominated students join virtually; the link will be communicated separately. • By 14 December 2026: academic orientation by CICT and access to the study material and educational videos. • 15 December 2026 – 14 January 2027: the one-month research and academic engagement: structured study, an original article/research note of four to five pages under a Faculty Supervisor/Guide, and a one-hour presentation at the institution, recorded; the institution submits the video recording of the presentation to CICT. • By 14 January 2027: submission of the article/research note, the activity report and the supporting records. Each eligible selected student is entitled to a stipend of Rs. 10,000, disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer after verification of the prescribed outputs and validation of the student's bank account details by the Participating Institution through this portal. For any clarification: Dr. R. Bhuvaneshwari, Registrar, Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai, registrar@cict.in, mobile 9790325518 / 9965734497.