Question : PROPOSALS FOR POLYTECHNICS AND HIGHER EDUCATIONAL COLLEGES

(a) whether the Union Government has received proposals from various State Governments including Karnataka for setting up polytechnics and higher educational colleges in their States during the last three years and the current year;

(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;

(c) the number of such colleges already set up by the Union Government during the above period, State-wise;

(d) the details of sanctioned and pending proposals and the reasons for pendency, State-wise; and

(e) the steps taken/being taken by the Union Government to sanction the pending proposals along with the time by which the sanction is likely to be accorded, proposal-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. SHASHI THAROOR)

(a to e): Under the scheme of “Sub-mission on Polytechnics under Co-ordinated Action for Skill Development” this Ministry provides one time financial assistance to the State/UT Governments to set up new polytechnics in 300 un-served and under- served districts of the country, subject to the State/UT Government providing land free of cost and meeting 100% recurring expenditure. Out of 300 districts identified under the scheme, 291 districts have already been provided partial financial assistance in 27 States, of which 62 districts have been covered during the last three years and in the current financial year. The Polytechnics are in various stages of construction and provisioning of land. The State wise details of Districts covered under the Scheme and provided funding, is given in Annexure 1. The concerned State Governments of remaining 9 Districts were contacted from time to time to obtain their commitment to implement the scheme. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands Administration and Government of Nagaland have expressed their inability to seek financial assistance for two districts each respectively in their States. The commitment in respect of the remaining 5 districts in the State of the NCT of Delhi has not been received.

Under the model degree college scheme to be set up in 374 educationally backward districts of the country, a total of 178 proposals were received, of which 124 have been approved so far. The State-wise details of proposal received and approved under the Scheme are given in Annexure. 2. The scheme has since been subsumed under the new Centrally sponsored scheme of the Rashtriya Uchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The proposals are cleared by the Project Approval Board, as and when proposals are received from the States.