Colleges to be set up under PPP model in Chhattisgarh's remote areas

The Chhattisgarh government will run colleges in backward areas and places difficult to access under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The Cabinet has passed a proposal on this.

Officials in the higher education department said the move was part of a number of innovations taken up by the Bhupesh Baghel government in education.

“Opening colleges on the PPP model in Chhattisgarh is an innovation for the state because no such scheme has been implemented in the past. None of the existing private colleges is operating under the arrangement provisioned in the proposed scheme,” an official said.

Under the Madhya Pradesh Private Colleges and Institutions (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 12 private colleges in the state are being run under 100 per cent regular grants.

After the formation of Chhattisgarh, 50 per cent funding is being provided to four private colleges under the Chhattisgarh Non-Government Colleges and Institutions (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2006, with the approval of the Cabinet.

Besides, once in three years an ad hoc grant is given for building an extension, furniture, and equipment up to a maximum of Rs 500,000.

Under the proposed plan, the state government will grant a maximum subsidy of Rs 2.50 crore and Rs 1.75 crore for establishing colleges in backward areas and those with difficult terrain, respectively, on the PPP model. This subsidy will be provided on the fixed capital investment to be given to colleges.

According to officials, the state government will provide at least 10 acres on a 30-year lease at a concessional rate of 50 per cent.

The land should not be used for anything other than academic purposes. At the end of the term, the lease can be extended with the consent of both the parties.

The government will pay 50 per cent of the interest on the maximum loan of Rs 500 crore taken for infrastructure construction. The state government will give scholarships to students studying all the courses. The college will have to arrange the salaries of the academic staff and employees by itself.

The state government, however, will provide grants of 20 and 30 per cent on the establishment expenditure on the maximum amount of Rs 2 crore for colleges opened in backward areas and extremely backward regions, respectively.

Officials said the scheme would be helpful in increasing the gross admission ratio (GER).