Parliament Question: HEIs Approved under PM-USHA in Odisha

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5016 ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026 HEIs Approved under PM-USHA in Odisha 5016. Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the number of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in the State of Odisha approved under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM–USHA) along with district-wise details of approvals, budget sanctioned and actual expenditure incurred during the last five years; (b) whether the focus districts, including tribal districts such as Kandhamal have received special grants for infrastructure development, digital libraries and faculty strengthening and if so, the details of funds allocated and utilised, district-wise; (c) the measurable improvement recorded in the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), accreditation scores and research output in the said State during the last five years; (d) the monitoring framework adopted by the Union Government to ensure outcome-based utilisation of funds by State universities, including the mechanisms for district-level audit and reporting; and (e) the present status of implementation of the Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy (STRIDE), with details of projects sanctioned, funds released and expenditure incurred in the said State? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (Dr. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) & (b): Education being in the Concurrent List, enhancing the quality of education is the responsibility of both the Central and State Governments. Recognizing the need for central assistance, the Department of Higher Education, Government of India, is implementing Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at funding specific State government universities and colleges, so as to improve their quality by ensuring their conformity to prescribed norms and standards.The government launched the third phase of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in June 2023 in the form of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM- USHA), with an outlay of Rs. 12,926.10 crore, which includes the committed liabilities of the earlier phases of RUSA, to cater to the needs of educationally unserved/ underserved areas. Under PM-USHA, a total of 38 units have been approved for support under various components in the State of Odisha for a total amount of Rs. 676.70 crore. The district-wise details of number of units and amount approved are at Annexure. Furthermore, under the scheme, total amount of Rs. 68.75 crore has been released to the State as central share during the last five years i.e., from 2019-20 till 2024-25. In the current financial year i.e., 2025-26, a central share of Rs. 11.69 crore has been released to the State of Odisha. Under PM-USHA, priority is given to focus districts which are identified by the concerned States/ UTs based on various criteria, including low Gross Enrolment Ratio, Gender Parity, population proportion and enrolment proportion for females, transgenders, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, Aspirational/ Border Area/ Left Wing Extremism district etc. The State of Odisha has identified 15 focus districts, including the tribal district of Kandhamal. In the focus districts of Odisha, 20 units have been approved support for a total amount of Rs. 390 crore under PM-USHA including 01 unit approved in Kandhamal district for Rs. 10 crore under ‘Gender Inclusion and Equity Initiatives’ component. Under PM-USHA, States/ UTs and Universities/ Colleges can undertake various activities aimed at enhancing access, equity and excellence in education, including construction/renovation of infrastructure such as smart classrooms/ computer labs/ research laboratories/ digital libraries with subscriptions to reputed journals; promoting Online Distance Learning (ODL) and online programs such as SWAYAM/ MOOCs; and training to develop 21st-century skills, etc. (c): According to the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), the Overall Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education in the State of Odisha has improved to 22.9 in 2022-23 (provisional) compared to 21.1 in 2018-19. The GER for Scheduled Castes has improved to 23.6 in 2022-23 (provisional) compared to 19.1 in 2018-19. The GER for Scheduled Tribes has improved to 16.2 in 2022-23 (provisional) compared to 12.2 in 2018-19. (d): Under the scheme, as per the government rules and procedures, regular audits of the scheme are conducted at Central and State/UTs level. Based on the audited statements of expenditure of the various supported HEIs, a consolidated Utilisation Certificate (UC) is sought from State/UTs for release of further grants to the State/UTs. The Ministry also reviews progress of works through various review meetings, physical visits etc. under the scheme. Furthermore, under PM-USHA, funds are released through the SNA-SPARSH model for all States /UTs except UTs without legislature. Funds are released to the States/UTs subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions by the States/UTs, such as transfer of the corresponding state share, utilization of at least 75% of the previously released funds, compliance with conditions laid down by the Project Approval Board (PAB), submission of consolidated Utilization Certificates (UCs), compliance with the instructions of the Ministry of Finance.(e): The University Grants Commission (UGC) launched the Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy (STRIDE) in 2019 for strengthening research culture, innovation and supporting trans-disciplinary research. The UGC has informed that the proposals under the scheme were invited during 2019 and after a thorough review of the proposals, 35 institutions were finally selected for Component-1 under STRIDE. Total funds amounting to Rs. 16.28 cr. have been released by UGC under Component I of this scheme. The 3-year cycle for all the institutions selected under Component I has been completed. The scheme is presently not in operation. *****ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) & (B) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5016 DATED 23.03.2026 ASKED BY SHRI SUKANTA KUMAR PANIGRAHI, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, REGARDING HEIs APPROVED UNDER PM-USHA IN ODISHA District-wise details of number of units and amount approved under PM-USHA in the State of Odisha: S. District Focus Number of Units Total Amount No. District Approved Approved (Rs. in (Yes/No) cr.) 1 Anugul No 3 15.00 2 Balangir Yes 2 25.00 3 Baleshwar No 1 5.00 4 Bargarh No 1 5.00 5 Bhadrak Yes 2 15.00 6 Boudh No 1 5.00 7 Cuttack No 2 105.00 8 Deogarh No 1 5.00 9 Dhenkanal No 2 10.00 10 Ganjam No 1 100.00 11 Jagatsinghapur Yes 1 5.00 12 Jajapur No 1 5.00 13 Jharsuguda Yes 1 5.00 14 Kalahandi Yes 1 20.00 15 Kandhamal Yes 1 10.00 16 Kendrapara Yes 1 5.00 17 Kendujhar No 1 5.00 18 Khordha No 1 5.00 19 Koraput Yes 1 20.00 20 Mayurbhanj Yes 2 110.00 21 Nabarangpur Yes 2 15.00 22 Nayagarh No 1 5.00 23 Nuapada Yes 1 5.00 24 Puri No 1 5.00 25 Sambalpur Yes 5 155.00 26 Sundargarh No 1 5.00 MMER (1% of total amount approved) 6.70 Total 38 676.70 *****