It was established in 1988 with UGC assistance with the objective of imparting English Language skills .to university students and research scholars so as to enable them to pursue their specialization and research work more effectively through the medium of English. It is one of the sixteen centres granted by the UGC to sixteen prestigious universities of the country. Immediately after its inception, it was the recipient of ODA-British Council Key English Language Project (KELT) under which syllabus design, materials production and faculty training schemes were implemented. A number of Workshops have been organized on various aspects of English Language Teaching with experts drawn from U.K. and U.S.A. The Centre is conducting a number of courses for university students, research scholars and overseas students and as well as for the public as part of the University Extension Service. The Centre has also been offering need-based short-term courses for ICRISAT and other organizations and also consultancy services for affiliated colleges.
(The duration of the courses is 6 months and they are offered twice a year)