However, masters degree with National Eligibility Test (NET) or PhD would continue to be the minimum eligibility criteria for direct recruitment in colleges, a senior official said.

Announcing the new regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Javadekar said Academic Performance Indicators (API), resisted by many as research was made compulsory for college teachers, has been scrapped so that they can focus on teaching.

"The whole effort is to improve the quality of higher education and to attract and retain the best talent in the country. All the incentives of earlier regulations have been maintained, but the API for college teachers has been removed.

"Now college teachers would not have to mandatorily do research but will have to essentially concentrate and give better education to undergraduate students," he told reporters here.

However PhD degree has been made mandatory for promotion to assistant professor (Selection grade) in colleges from 2021, Javadekar said.

A new and simplified teacher evaluation grading system has been introduced and teaching outcomes would be considered for promotion, he said.

"New recruitment for universities will be only PhD holders. We have given time of three years. So from 2021, assistant professor (entry level position) will have to hold PhD degree," Javadekar said.

The minister said Indian students who got their PhD degree from top 500 universities abroad will also be eligible for appointment in universities and colleges. Currently, such students are not eligible to take up teaching jobs in the Indian universities and colleges.