Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri
Prakash Javadekar today launched the unique portal and mobile app of Rashtriya
Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a body under the aegis of the Ministry of
Human Resource Development here in New Delhi.

Speaking
on the occasion Shri Javadekar said “Our Government’s first priority is to
improve the quality of primary as well as higher education. Unless we improve
the quality of education we will not be able to create capable people and good
citizen and therefore improvement of quality is the thrust for all our efforts
in the educational fields. Today this is a unique event as well as experiment
wherein we have inaugurated 17 facilities created under Rashtriya Ucchatat Shiksha
Abiyan (RUSA) in one go in 14 states”. He said that Centre and State Government
will be deliberating and discussing upon the modalities for bringing improvement
further. Under the concept of RUSA the quality of education can go up by
improving the research labs infrastructure and creating smart class rooms and
various other programmes by which the quality enhancement and value addition to
the students happen, Shri Javadekar added. The Minister said ‘RUSA is a success
and during the last three years Modi Government has increased the expenditure
to the tune of Rs. 2800 crore for this. He said we have created infrastructure
in many universities, colleges and model colleges. We have also provided Rs.
1300 crore in this year’s budget. Since this is happening for the first time,
we are very hopeful and excited and I am sure this scheme will be a great
success towards enhancement of higher education’ he added.

The portal is a one-stop for States’ Higher
Education Plans, decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details
of the resources under this scheme. Also, the gallery is a rich repository of
the projects initiated under RUSA.
Shri Javadekar also released the Booklet “Digital
Launch of Projects; Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)” on this
occasion.
Various State Education Ministers, Secretaries, RUSA
Nodal officers from many states were also present during the programme.
The RUSA projects that were launched today are as
under:
Up-gradation of Existing degree colleges to Model
Degree Colleges: Academic (Commerce) Block in Dera Natung Government College,
Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh); Infrastructure Grants to the University: Computer
Lab at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak (Haryana); New Colleges
(Professional): Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College, Kangra (Himachal
Pradesh); Creation of Cluster Universities in Jammu and Srinagar (District),
Jammu and Kashmir ( J&K ); Equity Initiatives: Digital Language Laboratory
in Ghatsila College, Ghatsila, Kolhan University (Jharkhand); Infrastructure
Grants to Universities: Solar Panelling System in Sree Sankaracharya University
of Sanskrit, Kalady, Ernakulam (Kerala); Infrastructure Grants to University:
Academic Block, Government Rani Durgawati College, Mandla (Madhya Pradesh);
Research, Innovation and Quality Improvement in Shivaji University, Kolhapur
& Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune (Maharashtra); Infrastructure
Grants to Colleges: Renovation of IT/Bioinformatics Centre, Laboratories in
Biotechnology, Food Technology, Chemistry, Biological Science, Home Science
and Geology in S. Kula Women’s College, Kongkhampat, Nambol (Manipur);
Infrastructure Grants to Colleges: New building for M.Ed. Classrooms, Institute
of Advanced Study in Education, Republic Veng, Aizwal (Mizoram); Infrastructure
Grants to University: Smart Classrooms and Moot Court Room, Mohan Lal Sukhadia
University, Udaipur (Rajasthan); Preparatory Grants: Management Information
Systems (MIS) in all Government College of Sikkim; Infrastructure Grants to Universities:
Women Hostel at Bharathiar University, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu); New Model
Degree College (MDC) at Kalwakurthy, Nagarkurnool (District), Telangana and
Infrastructure Grants to University: Yogic Science Laboratory in Uttarakhand
Sanskrit University, Haridwar (Uttarakhand).
The
detailed information regarding the projects can be had from the RUSA website rusa.nic.in.
Shri Javadekar also launched on this occasion the
Fund and Reform Tracker for this centrally sponsored scheme. The mobile application
will ensure that all projects under RUSA are tracked 24x7.
RUSA is the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of the
Department of Higher Education, MHRD which aims to provide strategic central
funding to State Higher Education Departments and Institutions and achieve the
broad objectives of access, equity and excellence. The State Higher Education
Departments and Institutions undertake certain governance, academic and
administrative reforms as a pre-requisite to be entitled for RUSA grants. The
implementation of RUSA in its right earnest began after May 2014.
Earlier
in his welcome address Shri Kewal Kumar Sharma, Secretary Higher Education
expressed the hope that proper and timely implementation of project will usher
in transformative Reforms in State Education system.
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GG/ST/IA/Digital Launch of RUSA Projects