Education Ministry to have spent only 8.3% of Budget Allotted to RUSA 2021

New Delhi: In response to a question from the Lok Sabha on Monday, Subhas Sarkar, minister of state for the ministry of education, stated that only Rs 249.14 crore had been given under the Rashtriya Uchhatar Abhiyan (RUSA) for the years 2021–2022. Just 8.3% of the scheme's projected budget for 2021–2022, or 31% of the amended budget, is represented by this.

The centrally funded programme funds state-run institutions and universities.

According to information provided by the ministry to the house, the RUSA budgets for the previous two fiscal years were substantially reduced from Rs 3,000 crore in budget estimates to Rs 793 crore in revised estimates for 2021–22.

The budget forecast for 2020–21 was only Rs 300 crore, and even of that amount, only 56% was actually given to the states.

Budget Estimates for the Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan, Revised (In Rs Cr)

Year	Budget Estimates	Revised Estimates	Funds Released
2020-21	300	166.	169.97
2021-22	3,000	793.26	249.14
2022-23	2,042.95	-	-

The information given in Lok Sabha shows that during the last three years, a total of Rs 1,691.57 crore has been released.

Budget of the Union: RUSA and states

Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, and Uttarakhand among the states receiving Rs 20 crore or more in 2021–22. Many people received absolutely no funding.

Mimi Chakraborthy, a member of parliament for the All India Trinamool Congress from Jadavpur, West Bengal, posed the query. One of the best universities in India, Jadavpur University, is reportedly in serious financial circumstances as a result of not receiving RUSA subsidies.

The response also stated that "RUSA funding depends on the proposals filed by the state, evaluation by the RUSA project approval board, conformity to the scheme's rules, and efficiency in using already sanctioned RUSA money."

RUSA 2021: Reduction in Spending

Over the past few years, the allocations to RUSA have changed drastically. It was given a budget of Rs. 1,392 crore in 2018–19, which increased to Rs. 2,100 crore in 2019–20. However, during the same fiscal year, that budget projection was reduced to Rs 1,380 crore. And ultimately, according to figures provided by Sarkar, Rs 1,272.46 crore were released.

The period of the programme was extended by the government in February 2022 until 2026, and the projected amount for the central government's contribution was Rs. 8,120.97 crore.

The union and state governments provide 60:40 of the funding for the RUSA programme. The programme promotes public colleges and universities by providing money for new institution openings and infrastructure improvements. When the RUSA was first implemented, participant states were also compelled to change their higher education policies and organisational structures.

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