Pune: Maharashtra Secures Rs 540 Crore in PM-USHA Scheme for Higher Education

Pune, 13th March 2024: The state has recently acquired Rs 540 crore in funds through the PM-USHA Scheme, formerly known as the National Higher Education Mission, initiated by the Union Ministry of Education. Within this allocation, four universities within Maharashtra are set to receive Rs 100 crore each, while seven universities will be granted Rs 20 crore each. Launched in 2013 to provide financial support to higher education institutions nationwide to enhance quality, the National Higher Education Mission entered its second phase in 2018. The state had previously received Rs 236 crore in Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) 1 and Rs 386 crore in RUSA 2. In January 2022, the central government approved the implementation of the RUSA 3 scheme, now renamed PM-USHA in line with the National Education Policy 2020, with a budgetary provision of Rs 8,226 crore.

The PM-USHA scheme encompasses five key components: multi-disciplinary education and research universities (Rs 100 crore each), grants for university empowerment (Rs 20 crore each), grants for college empowerment (Rs 5 crore each), new model degree colleges (Rs 15 crore each), and equality initiatives (Rs 10 crore each). Proposals were invited at the state level, resulting in a remarkable 681 submissions to the Higher Education Department. After scrutiny and presentation at the centre, the state secured funding with the highest number of proposals submitted nationally.

Among the states, Uttar Pradesh leads with Rs 760 crore, followed by Maharashtra with Rs 540 crore, Madhya Pradesh with Rs 400 crore, and Gujarat with Rs 280 crore. Dr. Shailendra Devlankar, Director of Higher Education, acknowledged the concerted efforts in securing funds under the PM Usha Yojana, emphasizing the scrutiny of university-submitted projects. The central government has recognized the state’s commitment to qualitative improvements in the education sector through the allocated funds.