Centre's scheme to better tech edu in northeast, hill states

The Centre will focus on low income states, hill states, northeast, and Andaman and Nicobar islands in phase III of its Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP), which aims to raise standards in educational institutions.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today approved the proposal for initiation of the 3rd Phase of TEQIP, which will be implemented as a 'Central Sector Scheme' with total project outlay of Rs 3,600 crore.
Announcing the Cabinet decision, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the focus in this phase would be on seven low income states (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh), 3 hill states (Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Uttarakhand), 8 northeastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

He said that educational institutions will be chosen on the basis of a challenge mode like the competition that was held for cities under the Swacch Bharat scheme.
Javadekar said that in the first two phases of TEQIP, southern and western states had benefited a lot so the focus is going to be on some other states in the third phase.
According to a statement released by the HRD ministry, the project would be initiated with a cost of Rs 2,660 crore, with the possibility of additional financing of Rs 940 crore at later stage.

Out of the Rs 2,660 crore, the Central share will be Rs 1,330 crore and external assistance from the World Bank through International Development Association (IDA) credit of Rs 1,330 crore (USD 201.50 million as first tranche), it added.

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An estimated 200 government or government-aided engineering institutes and Affiliating Technical Universities (ATUs), including the Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), will be selected under phase III of TEQIP.
According to the HRD statement, TEQIP has focussed on better academic standards through accreditation, filling up faculty positions, training faculty in better teaching methods, improved research outputs in institution in focus states and UTs.
Better administration of the institutions with improved financial and academic autonomy, better systems for assessment of student learning, higher transition rates, transparent and expeditious release of funds to institutes by way of Direct Funds Transfer (DFT) system, are the other outcomes of the project.

The Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) commenced in 2003 with World Bank assistance as a long term programme to be implemented in three phases.
The first phase of TEQIP commenced in 2003 and ended on March 31, 2009. It covered 127 institutes across 13 states including 18 CFTIs.
TEQIP-II commenced in August 2010, covering 23 states/union territories and 191 institutes (including 26 CFTIs). TEQIP-II is scheduled to conclude in October, 2016. Both projects have had a positive impact on the infrastructure and educational standards in the technical institutions where they were taken up.
"Institutions in the central, eastern and north-eastern region and hill states are at present in need of similar and specific interventions. The initiation and implementation of the project TEQIP-III will bridge this gap," the HRD ministry statement said.