Parliament Question: State Public Universities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3069 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026 STATE PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES 3069. SHRI BASAVARAJ BOMMAI: Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state: (a) the details of measures taken to improve governance structures in State Public Universities (SPUs) particularly regarding greater autonomy, leadership capacity building and transparency in decision-making; (b) the manner in which the Government plans to promote internships, apprenticeships and skill-based learning within SPUs to align with the evolving job market; and (c) whether the Government has any plans to introduce innovative financing models such as Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) or performance-based funding for State Public Universities and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE (RAO INDERJIT SINGH) (a) to (c): NITI Aayog’s report on ‘Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities’ was released in February Page 1 of 22025. The report focuses on improving governance structures through capacity building of leadership and enhanced autonomy, boosting employability through internships and apprenticeships, and augmenting institutional and systemic funding and financing capacity through innovative financing models, such as Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). The report is recommendatory in nature and suggests various policy changes at the State Government and State Public University levels for all States. State Public Universities are primarily the responsibility of State Governments. As for the Central Government, various Central Government programmes and schemes such as the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP), PM-Internship Scheme, National Apprenticeship Training Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Vidyalaxmi (PM-Vidyalaxmi), and Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) are available to State Public Universities. The Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, is applicable in PPP mode to Central Ministries, State Governments, and Statutory Authorities, including those from the Higher Education sector, as the case may be. ***** Page 2 of 2