Parliament Question: Shortage of Infrastructure Facilities in Higher Education in Hingoli District, Maharashtra

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 214 ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025 Shortage of Infrastructure Facilities in Higher Education in Hingoli District, Maharashtra *214. Shri Aashtikar Patil Nagesh Bapurao: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that Hingoli district is facing acute shortage of infrastructure/facilities for higher-education, including limited seats in technical, vocational and professional courses, forcing students to migrate to other districts, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government proposes to establish new Government colleges, skill development centres or upgrade existing institutions in Hingoli to improve access to quality education, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government proposes to provide special financial assistance for modern classrooms, digital learning facilities and teacher-training programmes in rural areas of Hingoli, if so, the details thereof; (d) whether any steps has been taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to expand scholarship and education-loan support for economically weaker students in the district; and (e) if so, the details of the steps/measures taken in this regard along with its timeline for implementation and if not, the reasons for delay? ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN) (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the table of the House. ****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 214 ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025 ASKED BY SHRI AASHTIKAR PATIL NAGESH BAPURAO, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING SHORTAGE OF INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN HINGOLI DISTRICT, MAHARASHTRA (a) to (c): Education being in the Concurrent List, enhancing the quality of education is the responsibility of both the Central and State Governments. The Central Government has implemented various schemes for supporting State Governments. As per AISHE Report 2021-22, there are 7003 total number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Maharashtra. As per the latest AISHE database, there are a total of 87 HEIs in Hingoli district. 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 Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (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 needs of educationally unserved/ underserved areas. 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. In Maharashtra, a total of 144 projects have been approved for a total amount of Rs. 1431.31 Crore under various components of the scheme. Furthermore, 2 Colleges have been approved support in Hingoli district for a total amount of Rs. 9 Crores, including establishment of a new Model Degree College under the Erstwhile Model Degree College component. University Grants Commission (UGC) has facilitated HEIs to provide skill based education under National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) in Colleges and Universities through its scheme of Community Colleges, B.Voc Degree Programmes and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Centres for Knowledge Acquisition and Upgradation of Skilled Human Abilities and Livelihood. UGC has also formulated the "Guidelines for Higher Education Institutions to offer Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme 2025" for offering programmes in all disciplines in universities as specified in the guidelines. The Department is also implementing Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP) through 151 the 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. Approximately, 42,346 faculty members from the State of Maharashtra, including those from rural areas of Hingoli district, have been trained under the scheme.To address the digital divide in rural areas and improve access to online learning, several measures have been undertaken. The 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). Under PM-USHA, 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. (d) & (e): The Department of Higher Education is implementing Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (PM-USP CSSS). Under the Scheme, financial assistance of Rs. 18.34 Crore has been released as scholarships to 13,837 beneficiaries in 2024-25 in the State of Maharashtra. University Grants Commission (UGC) is also implementing National Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies (NSPS) scheme to encourage higher studies by providing financial assistance. Under NSPS, financial assistance of Rs. 2.1 Crore has been released to 140 beneficiaries in 2024-25 in the State of Maharashtra. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is also implementing various Scholarship schemes like AICTE Pragati Scholarship Scheme (Degree & Diploma), AICTE Swanath Scholarship Scheme (Degree & Diploma), AICTE Saksham Scholarship Scheme (Degree & Diploma), AICTE PG Scholarship Scheme, AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF). Under these schemes, financial assistance of Rs. 16.47 Crore has been released to 3,268 beneficiaries in 2024-25 in the State of Maharashtra. Further, the PM Vidyalaxmi, a new central sector scheme has been launched in November 2024. The main objective of the scheme is to ensure that no student is denied the opportunity to pursue higher education due to financial constraints. Under the scheme, collateral-free and guarantor-free education loan is provided to all the students who get merit-based admission in top Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs) and who desire to avail the education loan and there is no upper limit for this. Further, for students with annual family income up to ₹ 8 lakh, the scheme provides 3% interest subvention on education loans up to ₹ 10 lakhs. Since launch of PM Vidyalaxmi Portal in February, 2025, a total of 4,559 education loans have been sanctioned to the students belonging to Maharashtra for a total amount of Rs. 724.73 Crore. *****