Parliament Question: Closure of Technical Institutions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2431 ANSWERED ON - 03/08/2026 Closure of Technical Institutions 2431. Shri Rahul Kaswan: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the number of technical institutions that have been closed across the country during the last three years, State-wise; (b) the reasons for the closure of such technical institutions; (c) whether the Government has assessed the factors contributing to the decline in enrolment in technical institutions and its linkage with the closure of such institutions and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government has identified States/UTs with a high incidence of closure of technical institutions and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the policy measures taken by the Government to improve the quality, viability and enrolment of technical institutions and prevent avoidable closures? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (e): The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a statutory body under the Ministry of Education, grants approval for conducting courses in Technical Education at diploma, undergraduate and post graduate levels to Technical Institutions, Institutions deemed to be Universities and standalone institutions in accordance with the provisions of the AICTE Act, 1987 and rules and regulations made thereafter. Further, AICTE processes applications for closure of institutions in accordance with the provisions of the Approval Process Handbook (APH). The State-wise details of AICTE-approved technical institutions closed during the last three years are at Annexure. Enrolments in technical institutions approved by AICTE has increased consistently over the last three years, rising from 22,11,504 in 2023–24 to 27,25,980 in 2024–25 and further to 29,58,870 in 2025–26. AICTE has taken several policy measures to improve the quality, viability, and enrolment of technical institutions. These include: i. Permitting institutions to reduce intake or discontinue non-performing courses/programmes based on demand.ii. Allowing institutions to introduce new and emerging programmes in high-demand areas, subject to the provisions of the Approval Process Handbook (APH), to enhance employability and improve student enrolment. iii. Periodically revising the Approval Process Handbook to simplify regulatory procedures and provide greater operational flexibility to institutions. iv. Promoting innovation, industry interaction, internships, skill development, and outcome-based education to improve the quality and relevance of technical education. v. Facilitating online and transparent approval processes to reduce procedural delays and enhance ease of compliance for institutions. These measures are intended to enable institutions to align their academic offerings with emerging industry requirements, improve institutional sustainability, and enhance the overall quality of technical education. ****Annexure ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2431 REGARDING ‘CLOSURE OF TECHNICAL INSTITUTIONS’ TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2026, ASKED BY SHRI RAHUL KASWAN, HON’BLE M.P. State/UT-wise details of AICTE-approved technical institutions closed during last 3 years State 2024-2025 2025-2026 2026-2027 Maharashtra 3 19 35 Uttar Pradesh 13 27 14 Madhya Pradesh 22 12 19 Tamil Nadu 15 16 14 Gujarat 3 9 10 Punjab 2 7 10 Rajasthan 3 6 8 Andhra Pradesh 1 7 7 Telangana 4 6 2 Haryana 4 4 3 Karnataka 3 5 2 Kerala 3 1 4 Chhattisgarh 2 0 3 Uttarakhand 3 2 0 Odisha 2 1 1 West Bengal 0 1 2 Bihar 0 1 1