Lok Sabha Question No. 3363 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-16
Subject: Financial Assistance to States under RUSA
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Bharti Pardhi, Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne, Shri Dharmendra Yadav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3363 ANSWERED ON 16-12-2024

## Financial Assistance to States under RUSA

3363. Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant: Shri Dharmendra Yadav: Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne: Smt. Bharti Pardhi:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  implemented  the  Rashtriya  Uchchatar  Shiksha  Abhiyan (RUSA) in mission mode to fund the State Universities and colleges to achieve the goal of equity, access and excellence;

(b) if so, the objectives of the scheme;

- (c) the details of the financial assistance provided to States/UTs under the RUSA scheme during the last three years and the current year, particularly to the States of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh;
- (d) the details of the proposals submitted by the State Governments, particularly Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for improving access to higher education in unserved and under-served districts; and
- (e) the extent to which the above scheme is helpful in improving equality in access to higher education for people belonging to socially deprived communities and promoting inclusion of women, minorities, SC/ST/OBCs and Divyangjan?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

(Dr. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a)&(b):  The  government  has  launched  the  third  phase  of  Rashtriya  Uchchatar  Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in June 2023 in the form of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PMUSHA) with an outlay of Rs. 12926.10 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 to cater to needs of educationally unserved/ underserved areas.

The  scheme  envisages  improvement  in  access,  equity,  and  excellence  in  State  Higher Education  system  through support under various components,  viz., Multi-Disciplinary Education  and  Research  Universities  (MERU),  Grants  to  Strengthen  Universities  (GSU), Grants  to  Strengthen  Colleges  (GSC),  New  Model  Degree  Colleges  (NMDC)  and  Gender Inclusion and Equity Initiatives (GIEI). In the first and second meetings of Project Approval Board for PM-USHA, 440 units have been approved in various States /UTs with a total amount of Rs. 5613.12 Crore under various components.

- (c): Under the scheme, an amount of Rs. 908.86 Crore has been released to the States/UTs during the last three years (i.e., 2021-22 to 2023-24) and the current year, including the release

of an amount of Rs. 153.57 Crore to the States of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

(d): Under PM-USHA, a total of 681, 131 and 142 proposals have been received under various components from the States Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, respectively. Out of these proposals, 162 units have been approved for an amount of Rs.  2374.75 Crore for these states in the first and second meetings of Project Approval Board for PM-USHA.

(e): Under PM-USHA, priority is given to Focus Districts. The focus districts are identified by the concerned States/ UTs based on various criteria including low Gross Enrolment Ratio, Gender  Parity,  population  proportion  and  enrolment  proportion  for  females,  transgenders, Scheduled  Castes,  Scheduled  Tribes,  and  Other  Backward  Classes,  Aspirational/  Border

Area/ Left Wing Extremism prone district, etc.

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