Central government is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for providing financial support to proposals contained in State Higher Education Plan (SHEP) approved by the State Higher Education Councils (SHECs) in order to achieve the objectives of equity, access and quality.

• A total of 115 Universities and 1218 colleges have been approved by RUSA PAB for infrastructure grants.
• The States have furnished proposals for construction of Model Degree Colleges and upgradation of Colleges to Model Degree Colleges in excess of the approved target for the 12th Plan.
• The RUSA Project Approval Board (PAB) has already accorded approvals under these components and exhausted the sanctioned targets.
• Further, 1218 Colleges out of a target of 3500 colleges and 115 Universities out of a target of 150 universities during 12th Plan have been approved for funding support from RUSA.

Some of the objectives

• Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions and ensure capacity building at all levels.
• To achieve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) target of 25.2% by the end of 12th Plan and 32% by the end of 13th Plan.
• Improve the overall quality of existing State higher educational institutions by ensuring their conformity to prescribed norms and standards.
• Adoption of accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
• Create opportunities for states to undertake reforms in the affiliating system.

Only seven proposals from the states under the component of creation of universities through upgradation of autonomous colleges and eight proposals of states under the component of creation of universities through clustering of colleges have been approved by the PAB of RUSA as other proposals could not meet the prescribed norms.