HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday said that as many as 22 ‘fake’ universities are functioning in the country, with a maximum of nine in Uttar Pradesh and five in Delhi and that she has asked the states to initiate action against these. Irani also said that the Ministry is in the process of writing to External Affairs Ministry to seek a list of all fake varsities and institutions abroad so that students do not get trapped and duped. Besides UP and Delhi, there are two in West Bengal and one each in Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, she said replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha.