HRD ministry to identify institutes with world class potential

The HRD Ministry plans to identify central institutions in the next two to three months which it will facilitate to emerge as world class in teaching and research.
HRD minister Smriti Irani told reporters here that the domestic rankings of the country's educational institutes, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), will be released in April and would assist in selecting the institutes which can be competitive worldwide.
"I think in the next two three months, the process of identification would be over," Irani said.
In his budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the government plans to to ensure an enabling regulatory environment to encourage ten public and ten private institutions to emerge as world class.

Institutions, which are involved in interdisciplinary studies or the highest levels of research, will be chosen, HRD ministry officials accompanying Irani said.
They said the Union Budget 2016 has allocated the Department of School Education and Literacy Rs 43,554 crore which is an increase of Rs 1,334.50 crores, while funds for the Department of Higher Education have been increased by over ten per cent.

Pointed out that funds for initiatives like the national scheme for incentive to girl child for secondary education and scheme for madrasas had been reduced, HRD officials said if there is need supplementary funds can be provided.

The demands had been prepared in consultation with states, they said.
Irani also said 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas have been announced in the Budget. HRD officials said of these, the largest number of 11 such schools would come up in Chhattisgarh.
After setting up of these Navodaya Vidyalyas, all districts with rural areas would have at least one such school and their total number would reach 660, officials said.
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Officials also said under the budget Rs 236 crore has
been provided for research and innovation, which includes provision for Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, Ucchatar Avishkar Abhiyaan and IMPRINT schemes.

They said about 160 proposals under the Ucchatar Avishkar Abhiyaan are under consideration. A Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) with an initial capital base of Rs 1000 crore is proposed to be set up with, additional contribution under CSR, donations etc to facilitate institution's easy access to funds, they added.