Parliament Question: Proposal to Develop Five University Townships

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5977 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 Proposal to Develop Five University Townships 5977. Smt. Sanjna Jatav: Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar: Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao: Shri Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu: Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat: Shri Sudheer Gupta: Shri Tejasvi Surya: Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane: Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram: Ms Kangna Ranaut: Shri Anup Sanjay Dhotre: Shri Anoop Pradhan Valmiki: Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal: Shri Haribhai Patel: Shri Ramesh Awasthi: Shri Dineshbhai Makwana: Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara: Dr. Nishikant Dubey: Shri Sunil Kumar: Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya: Shri Chandra Prakash Choudhary: Shri Shankar Lalwani: Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi: Shri Satish Kumar Gautam: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the proposal to develop five University Townships near major industrial corridors was finalised in Budget 2026, if so, the details thereof and whether any of the said township is proposed to be set up in Kanpur, a major industrial city of Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur Lok Sabha Constituency in Rajasthan; (b) if not, the reasons for the delay and the timeframe within which the Government proposes to finalise the locations and implementation framework; (c) the number of foreign universities from the UK, USA and Australia that have received approval to set up campuses in India; (d) whether there is any proposal to set up the said campuses in Bihar as well and if so, the details thereof; (e) the operational status of the ‘Study in India’ Edu-Diplomatic Conclave held in March 2026;(f) whether the Government proposes to introduce the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill during the Monsoon Session, 2026 and if so, the details thereof along with the main provisions therein; (g) whether the Government proposes to include cities associated with education and industry like Kanpur under the purview of allowing foreign universities to set up their campuses in India, if so, the details thereof; and (h) whether any special scheme is being formulated in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and other institutions to promote higher education and research and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (h) As announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, the Union Government aims to support States, in creating 5 University Townships in the vicinity of major industrial and logistic corridors. With the states participating in the initiative through a challenge-based process, a holistic higher education ecosystem through planned academic zones hosting multiple universities, colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential complexes is envisaged to be created. To promote internationalization of education in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP), Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) have been permitted to establish their campuses in India under University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, and the International Financial Services Centers Authority (Setting up and Operation of International Branch Campuses and Offshore Education Centers) Regulations, 2022. UGC has issued 14 Letters of Intent (LoIs) to FHEIs, including those from Australia, United Kingdom and USA to establish their campuses at various places in India. Under IFSCA regulations, 2022, approvals have been granted to 5 universities from Australia and the UK to establish offshore branch campuses in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Department of Higher Education, Government of India has also organised the “Study in India Edu- Diplomatic Conclave” in March 2026 bringing together Ambassadors, High Commissioners, representatives of diplomatic missions from over 50 countries. The conclave served as a platform to promote the ‘Study in India’ programme, highlighting opportunities in higher education and short- term courses in India. The conclave also encouraged institutional collaborations and invited globally ranked universities to establish campuses in India. Further, to promote research and development through the integration of academia, industry, and enterprise creation, Research Parks have been established in premier higher educational institutions across the country, including IIT Kanpur. These parks enable industry-funded research and actively promote collaboration between industry and academia. Ministry of Education has also established “Center of Excellence in AI for Sustainable cities” at IIT Kanpur. In order to attract the best talents to pursue high - quality research in India's premier academic institutions, the Government launched Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme in 2018- 19 with total financial outlay of Rs. 1650 Crores. Government has also approved ONOS scheme to expand access to scholarly journals to a vast diaspora of students, faculty, researchers and scientistsof all disciplines, of all Higher Educational Institutions under the management of the Central or State Government and Research & Development Institutions of the Central Government, through a national subscription coordinated by a central agency. More than 6300 such institutions are covered under this scheme. A total of about Rs.6,000 crore has been allocated for the scheme for 3 calendar years, 2025, 2026 and 2027. Further, with an aim to establish a single, unified national regulator for higher education in India the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 (earlier Higher Education Commission of India Bill) has already been introduced in the Lok Sabha on 15th December 2025. *****