HRD Ministry flags graft in Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan(RUSA)

News:The Ministry of Human Resource Development(HRD) has approached the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) over the alleged corruption in the implementation of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan(RUSA).

Facts:

• The alleged acts of corruption in the implementation of RUSA was discovered in 2019 after the audit was done by Tata Institute of Social Sciences(TISS).
• The audit found that the funds spent out of RUSA were used for the personal trips by the former National mission director of RUSA.

About Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan(RUSA):

• Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme(CSS) launched in 2013.
• It aimed at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions to achieve the objective of equity, access and excellence.

Objectives of RUSA:

• Improve the overall quality of state institutions by conforming to the prescribed norms and standards.
• Adoption of accreditation(certification of competency) as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
• Promoting autonomy in state universities and improving governance in institutions.
• Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions.
• Create an enabling atmosphere for research in the higher education system.
• Correct regional imbalances in access to higher education by setting up institutions in unserved and underserved areas.
• Improve equity in higher education by providing adequate opportunities to the disadvantaged.

Funding:

• The central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10 for special category states and 100% for union territories) would be norms based and outcome dependent.
• The funding would flow from the central ministry through the state governments/union territories to the State Higher Education Councils on the basis of critical appraisal of State Higher Education Plans.