Lok Sabha Question No. 3703 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-16
Subject: Availability of Adequate Educational Infrastructure in Higher Education Facilities
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Dr. Amar Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO3703

ANSWERED ON- 16.03.2026

## AVAILABILITY OF ADEQUATE EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES

3703. Dr. Amar Singh: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the availability and adequacy  of  educational  infrastructure,  including  schools,  colleges  and  higher education  institutions  in  the  country  particularly  in  Fatehgarh  Sahib  Lok  Sabha Constituency, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government  proposes  to establish or  upgrade  any Central Government  educational  institutions, including  Kendriya  Vidyalayas,  Navodaya Vidyalayas, Central Universities or professional colleges, in the said constituency; (c) the amount of funds sanctioned and released under Centrally Sponsored Schemes for strengthening school education, digital learning and teacher training in the said constituency during the last five years; (d) whether the Government is aware of the lack of higher education and professional education opportunities in the region leading to migration of students and if so, the details thereof; and (e)  the  details  of  steps  taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to improve access  to  quality  education  and  skill-oriented  courses  for  students  in  the  said constituency?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a):  Education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution and majority of the schools and  colleges  are  under  the  administrative  domain  of  the  respective  State/UT Government.

After  implementation  of  the  National  Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020  various schemes/projects/programmes run by the Ministry of Education have been aligned with the NEP 2020 and a number of transformative initiatives have been undertaken both at school education level and higher education level.

In alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, 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 (PM-USHA) for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs. 12926.10 crore, to cater to the needs of educationally unserved/ underserved areas. The scheme has been further extended till  31st  March,2028,  for  completion  of  PM-USHA  projects  and  for  an  additional  6 months (i.e.,30th September, 2026) for completion of ongoing RUSA projects.

Under  the  scheme,  States/  UTs  have  the  flexibility  to  utilize  funds  for undertaking the various activities including infrastructure upgradation, multidisciplinary education,  imparting  skill  development  and  quality  initiatives,  outlined  in their proposals approved by the Ministry.

So far, 86 projects amounting to ₹ 581.61 crore have been approved to the State of Punjab including a total of 11 units amounting to ₹ 34 crore in the districts Fatehgarh Sahib (2 units amounting to ₹ 6 crore), Ludhiana (7 units amounting to ₹ 24 crore), and Malerkotla (2 units amounting to ₹ 4 crore) under Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency.

The number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the district Fatehgarh Sahib of Punjab State as per AISHE 2022-23 (provisional) are as follows:

|              | Number of HEIs   | Number of HEIs           |
|--------------|------------------|--------------------------|
| Institutions | Punjab           | Fatehgarh Sahib District |
| University   | 40               | 3                        |
| College      | 1,040            | 23                       |
| Standalone   | 353              | 9                        |
| All HEIs     | 1,433            | 35                       |

As per UDISE+ the number of primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary schools in the districts of Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana and Malerkotla (the districts pertaining to Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency) are as follows:

| District      |   Primary | Upper Primary   |   Secondary | Higher Secondary   |
|---------------|-----------|-----------------|-------------|--------------------|
| 447           |       152 | 67              |         123 | Fatehgarh Sahib    |
| Ludhiana 1097 |       472 |                 |         551 | 675                |
| Malerkotla    |       198 | 56              |          55 | 83                 |

(b): Opening of new NVs/KVs is a continuous process and opening of new NVs/KVs depend on approval by the competent authority as per extant procedure/policy.  As per the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme (one NV in each district), Navodaya Vidyalayas are functioning in Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana district - part of Fatehgarh Sahib Lok  Sabha  Constituency)  from  their  permanent  campuses,  with  the  requisite infrastructure  as  per  the  norms.  There  is  one  KV  (PM  SHRI  KV,  Reona  Ucha) functional in Fatehgarh Sahib, while two KVs (PM SHRI KV No-1, AFS Halwara, and KV No-2, AFS Halwara) are functional in Ludhiana district. Moreover, there are 356 PM SHRI Schools in Punjab including 6 in Fatehgarh Sahib and 24 in Ludhiana district.

(c):  Under  the  Centrally  sponsored  scheme,  annual  plans,  including  infrastructure development, are prepared by the respective state/UT as per their requirement and priority and the same is reflected in their Annual Work Plan & Budget proposals.  These plans are then appraised/approved by the Project Approval Board in the Department in  consultation  with  the  respective  State  and  UT  based  on  physical  and  financial progress of the works sanctioned earlier and availability of budgetary resources.  The financial assistance is provided to the States/UTs in an aggregate manner and not as intervention-wise/district-wise/ constitution-wise.

As  informed  by  the  State  of  Punjab,  the  funds  sanctioned  and  released  for strengthening school education, digital learning and teacher learning during the last 5 years in the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha Constituency is at Annexure I.

(d):  NEP  2020  provides  for  more  Higher  Educational  Institutions  (HEIs)  to  be established and developed in underserved regions to ensure full access, equity and inclusion.  However, enrollment in Higher education after schooling is determined not only  by  geographical  proximity,  but  is  also  guided  by  other  factors,  viz.,  desire  of students  for  learning  from  best  teachers  &  researchers,  exposure  to  diverse perspectives and culture, career pathways, employment opportunities etc.     Further, setting up of central universities/HEIs is a continuous process.

(e): Improving the quality of education across all levels of education is a continuous and ongoing process.

PM Schools for  Rising  India  (PM  SHRI)  aims  to  develop  more  than  14500 selected schools as exemplar schools that offers leadership to other schools in the neighbourhood, showcasing all the initiatives of NEP 2020.

Several initiatives have been undertaken to improve access to quality education for students in Fatehgarh Sahib constituency. As informed by Punjab Government, to strengthen foundational learning, the Mission Samrath program has been implemented since the 2023-24 academic session, focusing on enhancing language and mathematics skills among students from Classes 3 to 8 through the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology. Under this mission, nearly 1.2 million students in  government  schools  are  provided  with  Teaching-Learning  Material  (TLM),  and workshops and training sessions are organized for stakeholders at different levels.

Further,  based  on  the  PARAKH  Survey  2024  report,  the  Competency Enhancement  Plan  (CEP)  was  introduced  during  October  to  December  2025  for Classes  6  to  10,  aiming  to  address  weak  competencies.  Students  were  given fortnightly practice sheets to reinforce key concepts, along with baseline and endline assessments to monitor progress.

To promote experiential learning and 'Learning by Doing,' subject fairs were organized in 6,328 government schools across Punjab, where students showcased models, presentations, role plays, and projects prepared in groups.

Additionally,  subject-specific  circles  or  clubs  have  been  established  in  all schools, encouraging students to participate in activities related to different subjects, thereby fostering  interest  and  deeper  engagement  in  academics. These  combined efforts reflect the government's commitment to strengthening educational quality and accessibility in Fatehgarh Sahib.

NEP  2020  advocates  integration  of  skill  development  with  mainstream education by embedding skill education across school and higher education.  Under Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to the States/UTs for offering skill courses to the students from Class 9 to Class 12 and for providing skill exposure at middle level.

University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Ministry of Education have taken the following steps to provide access to quality education through digital mode-

1. SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is a programme initiated by the Government of India and designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality. The MOOCs available  on  the  SWAYAM  Platform  (www.swayam.gov.in)  can  be  accessed  by anyone who is desirous of learning, at any time, and from anywhere.
2. UGC MOOC Portal: Archived SWAYAM Non-Technology Undergraduate and Postgraduate MOOCs Courses are available on the UGC MOOCs

Portal, ensuring continued access to quality academic content for students, teachers, and lifelong learners even after the live course cycle is completed on SWAYAM.

3. E-PG Pathshala: - Non-Technology postgraduate e-content is available at e-PG Pathshala (https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/) and freely accessible at one place for Students/Faculty Members/professionals/ lifelong learners.
4. UGC has notified the University Grants Commission (Credit Framework for  Online  Learning  Courses  through  Study  Webs  of  Active  Learning  for  Young Aspiring Minds) Regulations, 2021, which allows universities to take up to 40% of the total courses in a semester through online learning via the SWAYAM platform. This ensures flexibility and academic enrichment for students.

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Annexure I

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3703 ANSWERED ON 16 TH  MARCH, 2026 ASKED BY HON'BLE MP DR. AMAR SINGH REGARDING AVAILABILITY OF ADEQUATE

EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES Funds sanctioned and released for strengthening school education, digital learning and teacher learning during the last 5 years in the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha

Constituency

| Year    | Infrastructure for Strengthening school   | Infrastructure for Strengthening school   | Digital learning              | Digital learning            | teacher learning              | teacher learning            |
|---------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| Year    | Funds Sanctioned (₹ in lakhs)             | Funds released (₹ in lakhs)               | Funds Sanctioned (₹ in lakhs) | Funds released (₹ in lakhs) | Funds Sanctioned (₹ in lakhs) | Funds released (₹ in lakhs) |
| 2021-22 | 482.37                                    | 482.37                                    | 807.20                        | 36.00                       | -                             | -                           |
| 2022-23 | 599.17                                    | 599.17                                    | 404.80                        | 36.00                       | 21.77                         | 21.77                       |
| 2023-24 | 1092.31                                   | 1092.31                                   | 259.50                        | 38.50                       | 15.01                         | 15.01                       |
| 2024-25 | 999.87                                    | 974.88                                    | 70.64                         | 38.64                       | 6.58                          | 6.58                        |
| 2025-26 | 1255.00                                   | 963.33                                    | 1259.30                       | 902.80                      | 5.21                          | 5.21                        |

***