PARLIAMENT QUESTION: UGC Funding and Institutional Autonomy

Ministry of Education

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: UGC Funding and Institutional Autonomy प्रव तथ: 12 AUG 2026 4:47PM by PIB Delhi The details of total funds released by the Ministry of Education and utilised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) during 2021-22 to 2025-26, are as under:

(Rs. in Crore) Year 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 Fund released 13839.43 16859.87 19054.74 19770.47 20527.43 Expenditure 13606.52 16080.55 18676.31 19742.07 20507.48 Out of the total funds released to UGC during the period 2021-22 to 2025-26, funds amounting to Rs.

73,148.65 crore and Rs. 2,743.04 Crore have been released by UGC to the Central Universities and Institutions Deemed to be Universities respectively.

The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), was launched in 2013 with the objective of providing funding to eligible State Higher Educational Institutions. The aim of this scheme is to achieve mass access to higher education with high quality standards. Funding is provided to the State Universities and Colleges by the Department of Higher Education, Government of India under RUSA.

The Government launched the third phase of RUSA in June 2023 in the form of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26. Under the Scheme, support is provided to States/UTs for strengthening infrastructure, including construction of hostels, academic and administrative buildings, laboratories and other facilities required for improving access and quality in higher education.

The year-wise details of Central Share released to the States/UTs under PM-USHA/RUSA during the

last five financial years and current financial year are as given below: (Rs.in Crore) Year 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 (As on 06.08.2026) Central Share 249.13 359.50 181.06 350.83 864.25 507.00 ReleasedAfter implementation of the RUSA, UGC does not provide any development grants to State Universities per se. After the 12th Plan period, UGC has released funds to State Universities, including private universities, only for settlement on reimbursement basis under the UGC Schemes sanctioned earlier. Towards this expenditure, total funds amounting to Rs. 931.44 crore have been released by UGC during the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. Further, an amount of Rs.1818.46 crore was released to Punjab University, an Inter-State Body Corporate, as fixed salary grant during the same period.

The UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and other Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2018, notified on 18th July 2018, inter alia provide for the minimum qualification for appointment and other service conditions of University and College teachers, Librarians, and Directors of Physical Education and Sports as a measure for the maintenance of standards in higher education.

The National Education Policy (NEP) envisages a ‘light but tight’ regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency of the educational system through audit and public disclosure while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box ideas through autonomy, good governance, and empowerment. Accordingly, the Ministry has introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025 in Lok Sabha on December 15, 2025. This Bill has been referred to a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. ***** RRTN (रलीज़ आईडी: 2298332) आगंतुक पटल : 280 इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही