Lok Sabha Question No. 5977 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Proposal to Develop Five University Townships
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane, Dr. Nishikant Dubey, Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara, Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Ramesh Awasthi, Shri Anoop Pradhan Valmiki, Shri Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Shri Shankar Lalwani, Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya, Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Ms Kangna Ranaut, Shri Haribhai Patel, Shri Sunil Kumar, Shri Anup Sanjay Dhotre, Smt. Sanjna Jatav, Shri Satish Kumar Gautam, Shri Chandra Prakash Choudhary, Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram, Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana, Shri Tejasvi Surya, Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5977

ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## Proposal to Develop Five University Townships

5977. Smt. Sanjna Jatav:

Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar:

Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao:

Shri Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu:

Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat:

Shri Sudheer Gupta:

Shri Tejasvi Surya:

Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane:

Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram:

Ms Kangna Ranaut:

Shri Anup Sanjay Dhotre:

Shri Anoop Pradhan Valmiki:

Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal:

Shri Haribhai Patel:

Shri Ramesh Awasthi:

Shri Dineshbhai Makwana:

Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara:

Dr. Nishikant Dubey:

Shri Sunil Kumar:

Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya:

Shri Chandra Prakash Choudhary:

Shri Shankar Lalwani:

Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi:

Shri Satish Kumar Gautam:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the proposal to develop five University Townships near major industrial corridors was finalised in Budget 2026, if so, the details thereof and whether any of the said township is proposed to be set up in Kanpur, a major industrial city of Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur Lok Sabha Constituency in Rajasthan;
- (b)  if  not,  the  reasons  for  the  delay  and  the  timeframe  within  which  the  Government  proposes  to finalise the locations and implementation framework;
- (c) the number of foreign universities from the UK, USA and Australia that have received approval to set up campuses in India;
- (d) whether there is any proposal to set up the said campuses in Bihar as well and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the operational status of the 'Study in India' Edu-Diplomatic Conclave held in March 2026;

(f) whether the Government proposes to introduce the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill during the Monsoon Session, 2026 and if so, the details thereof along with the main provisions therein;

(g) whether the Government proposes to include cities associated with education and industry like Kanpur under the purview of allowing foreign universities to set up their campuses in India, if so, the details thereof; and

(h)  whether  any  special  scheme  is  being  formulated  in  collaboration  with  IIT  Kanpur  and  other institutions to promote higher education and research and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a) to (h) As announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, the Union Government aims to support States, in creating 5 University Townships in the vicinity of major industrial and logistic corridors. With the states  participating  in  the  initiative  through  a  challenge-based  process,  a  holistic  higher education ecosystem  through  planned  academic  zones  hosting  multiple  universities,  colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential complexes is envisaged to be created.

To promote internationalization of education in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP),  Foreign  Higher  Educational  Institutions  (FHEIs)  have  been  permitted  to  establish  their campuses in India under University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, and the International Financial Services Centers Authority (Setting up and  Operation of International Branch Campuses and Offshore Education Centers) Regulations, 2022. UGC has issued 14 Letters of Intent (LoIs) to FHEIs, including those from Australia, United Kingdom and USA to establish their campuses at various places in India. Under IFSCA regulations, 2022, approvals have been granted to 5 universities from Australia and the UK to establish offshore branch campuses in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Department of Higher Education, Government of India has also organised the 'Study in India EduDiplomatic  Conclave'  in  March  2026  bringing  together  Ambassadors,  High  Commissioners, representatives of diplomatic missions from over 50 countries. The conclave served as a platform to promote the 'Study in India' programme, highlighting opportunities in higher education and shortterm courses in India. The conclave also encouraged institutional collaborations and invited globally ranked universities to establish campuses in India.

Further,  to  promote  research  and  development  through  the  integration  of  academia,  industry,  and enterprise creation, Research Parks have been established in premier higher educational institutions across the country, including IIT Kanpur. These parks enable industry-funded research and actively promote collaboration between industry and academia. Ministry of Education has also established 'Center of Excellence in AI for Sustainable cities' at IIT Kanpur.

In  order  to  attract  the  best  talents  to  pursue  high  -  quality  research  in  India's  premier  academic institutions, the Government launched Prime Minister's Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme in 201819 with total financial outlay of Rs. 1650 Crores.  Government has also approved ONOS scheme to expand access to scholarly journals to a vast diaspora of students, faculty, researchers and scientists of all disciplines, of all Higher Educational Institutions under the management of the Central or State Government and Research & Development Institutions of the Central Government, through a national subscription coordinated by a central agency. More than 6300 such institutions are covered under this scheme. A total of about Rs.6,000 crore has been allocated for the scheme for 3 calendar years, 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Further, with an aim to establish a single, unified national regulator for higher education in India the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 (earlier Higher Education Commission of India Bill) has already been introduced in the Lok Sabha on 15 th December 2025.

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