Panel’s nod to Rs 1 lakh crore education programme

NEW DELHI: A Rs 1-lakh crore programme seeking to increase Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education sector to 30% by 2022 has been cleared by the Expenditure Finance Committee.

The main component of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) programme, to be spread over the 12th and 13th Plan Periods, is to set up new universities and upgrade existing autonomous colleges to universities.

The other attempt to take up the GER from the existing 18% to 30% will be to convert colleges to cluster universities and set up new model colleges. The strategy also includes converting existing degree colleges to model colleges. Sources in the HRD Ministry said the proposal will now be sent to the Cabinet for approval.