Mumbai: The meagerly paid professors at the country's top academic institutes may soon be poached by foreign universities after the government cleared a proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India. This step is expected to provide quality education in the country and reduce the flow of Indian students abroad. The bill, which will now be tabled in parliament for its approval, has provisions to regulate the entry and operation of foreign institutions, which will set up campus and offer degrees in India. "This is a milestone, which will enhance choices, increase competition, and benchmark quality," Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Thousands of Indian students go to the U.S., Britain and Australia among other countries, every year, to study in foreign universities. The effort is part of the central government's continued focus on education reform. Sibal, who sounded elated Monday, has been pushing for this since he took over the ministry last year. The minister, too, has been in touch with several top universities in the U.S. and Britain about such a move. Among the foreign universities likely to set up shop in India are Boston University, Harvard and Yale University from the U.S.