By TCN News,
New Delhi: In a significant move to increase percentage of higher education in the country, the Central Government has introduced a new scheme to provide assistance for setting up a model degree college in each of the identified 374 educationally backward districts where Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for higher education is less than the national GER.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development that launched the scheme will provide the states with assistance of one-third of the capital cost for establishment of each college but the amount will be limited to Rs.2.67 crore. The special category states (i.e. all North-Eastern States Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, Sikkim, and Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) will get 50% of the capital cost for each degree college that will be limited to Rs. 4 crore.
Giving this information in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari said: “During the remaining period of the 11th Five Year Plan, provision exists for establishing 200 model colleges in identified districts with priority being given to special category states and districts having concentration of weaker sections and minorities as well as other districts in Schedule V and Schedule VI areas.”
She also made it clear that those colleges which have been established on or after 1st January, 2008 in identified districts will also be eligible to be covered under this Scheme.