The education ministry has approved Rs 5 crore for each of the 24 colleges under the GSC component
OdishaPlus Bureau
The Union government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 676.70 crore for the enhancement of infrastructure at various universities and colleges in Odisha, as announced by the state’s Higher Education Minister, Suryabanshi Suraj. Minister Suraj indicated that the state will contribute Rs 268 crore, which constitutes 40 percent of the total funding, while the central government will allocate the remaining Rs 408.70 crore, accounting for 60 percent.
This funding has been approved for several initiatives, including Multi-Disciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERU), Grants to Strengthen Universities (GSU), Grants to Strengthen Colleges (GSC), Gender Inclusion and Equity Initiatives (GIEI), and Management Monitoring Evaluation and Research (MMER).
An additional allocation of Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned for Berhampur University, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University in Baripada, Ravenshaw University in Cuttack, and Sambalpur University, as part of the MERU component of the initiative.
In a similar vein, the GSU component will provide Rs 20 crore each to Vikram Dev University in Jeypore, Odisha State Open University in Sambalpur, Kalahandi University in Bhawanipatna, Rajendra University in Bolangir, and Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur for infrastructure development, as stated by Suraj.
Furthermore, the education ministry has approved Rs 5 crore for each of the 24 colleges under the GSC component. Additionally, five districts—Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Nabarangpur, and Sambalpur—will receive Rs 10 crore each to implement gender inclusion and equity initiatives.
The PM-USHA scheme includes measures for developing classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and hostels, ensuring that the infrastructure is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Additionally, higher educational institutions are permitted to acquire software and hardware to improve digital education.
To encourage greater enrollment of female students, higher educational institutions may provide skill development programs, career-building opportunities, and self-defense training as part of the gender inclusion and equity initiative within the central scheme. The implementation of this scheme is expected to enhance the NAAC rankings of higher educational institutions in the forthcoming years.
Also, the government is working to implement the National Education Policy 2020 to make educational institutions multi-disciplinary and students compatible with global standards.
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