Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan budget hiked four times to Rs 96 bn

The budget of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (Rusa) was on Wednesday increased four times, said Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, after the Cabinet meeting. The scheme would now cost Rs 96 billion, of which the Centre would contribute Rs 71 billion. 

Rusa aims to increase enrollment in higher education by 30 per cent. The Cabinet also approved the second phase of the scheme. “It was about Rs 6 billion per year, totaling to Rs 24 billion for four years from 2013-14 to 2016-17. Now, it is Rs 71 billion for three years (2017-18 to 2019-20),” the minister of tweeted. Javadekar said 10 universities, with National Assessment and Accreditation Council score of 3.51 and above, will get Rs 1 billion each for quality initiatives. “About 20 states will get Rs 500 million to create research clusters,” he said.

The government is also planning to open eight new professional colleges in educationally backward Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, with a grant Rs 260 million each. 

The scheme will also focus on “aspirational” districts, identified by the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog. Javadekar said the government will open 70 new model colleges, with an allocation of Rs 120 million each in these districts. 

The government is also planning to give Rs 20 million for upgrade of 750 colleges.