Parliament Question: Infrastructure of colleges and universities in Maharashtra

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3707 ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026 Infrastructure of colleges and universities in Maharashtra 3707 Smt. Rajani Ashokrao Patil: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether public universities and colleges in Maharashtra face infrastructure and faculty shortages; (b) funds allocated and utilised under central higher education schemes; (c) challenges faced by institutions in backward regions; and (d) reasons why regional disparities in higher education quality persist? 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. The state of Maharashtra has a total of 8 Central higher education institutions, two IIIT’s, two IIMs, one IIT, one NIT, one Central University and one IISER. As per the AISHE Report 2022-23, there are 7650 total number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Maharashtra. The government is implementing Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), which is 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 has launched the third phase of RUSA in June 2023 in the form of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) with an outlay of Rs.12926.10 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 to cater to the needs of educationally unserved/ underserved areas. As on date, under PM-USHA, a total of 61 units have been approved in Maharashtra for a total support amounting to Rs. 814.24 crore. 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. Further, States/ UTs and Universities/ Colleges can undertake various activities aimed at enhancing access, equity and excellence in education, including promoting Online Distance Learning (ODL) and online programs such as SWAYAM/ MOOCs; construction of smart classrooms/ computer labs/ research laboratories/ digital libraries with subscriptions to reputed journals; and training to develop 21st-century skills, etc. The Department is also implementing Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP) through 151 Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centres (MTTCs) established in various HEIs across the country, out of which, 15 MMTTCs are located in the State of Maharashtra. (c) & (d): The Central Government has taken various measures to strengthen regional equity in the expansion of higher education such as opening of more HEIs including Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT), Central Universities (CU), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Instituteof Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), National Institute of Technology (NIT) and AIIMS; Implementing various Scholarship and Fellowship schemes for providing financial assistance to students including from underserved regions; Allowing well performing HEIs (based on NAAC and NIRF ranking) by University Grants Commission (UGC) to offer full Open Distance Learning/Online Programmes based on quality parameters; Providing much- needed flexibility and appropriate Exit as well as entry options in the Higher Education system, to facilitate students to choose their learning trajectory; Allow pursuing two Academic Programmes simultaneously; Permitting HEIs for two admission cycles in an academic year; Providing anytime, anywhere learning opportunities for all learners through Study Webs for Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) platform, which provides high quality structured online courses in multiple disciplines; Permitting up to 40 per cent credits in regular courses using SWAYAM platform; and Conducting JEE, NEET (UG) and Common University Entrance Test (CUET) Exams in 13 languages, and making available Text Books in Indian Languages to facilitate students, particularly from vernacular/rural background. Further, to address the digital divide in rural areas and improve access to online learning, several measures have been undertaken. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has translated 27 SWAYAM Non-Technology PG MOOCs into regional languages, viz. Hindi, Marathi, Bangla, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu etc., to promote multilingual education. The translated content is available at http://www.ugceresources.in. The UGC e-resource portal, e-content from the e-PG Pathshala and UGC MOOC Portal have been integrated with digitalseva.csc.gov.in, a platform operated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for rural outreach via Common Service Centres (CSCs). Further, financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) scheme along with education loans provided through the PM Vidyalakshmi initiative, has helped reduce regional inequality by expanding access to higher education in underserved and unserved areas of the country. Under the PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University students, financial assistance of Rs.18.34 Crore has been released as scholarships to 13,837 beneficiaries in 2024-25 in the State of Maharashtra. Since the introduction of PM Vidyalaxmi scheme till 22.2.2026, a total of 6586 collateral free and guarantor free education loans have been sanctioned to the students belonging to Maharashtra for a total amount of Rs. 1076 Crore. ***