Not in favour of conversion of state varsities into central ones, says government

The government has decided not to entertain any request for conversion of state universities into central universities, a demand put forth from time to time by various states and Members of Parliament.

It is of the view that the Rashtriya Uchchtar Siksha Abhiyan (RUSA) programme offers enough scope for states to scale up infrastructure, improve quality and set up new institutions.

A note issued by HRD Ministry said that it "has taken a policy decision not to convert state universities into central universities for reasons of legacy issues, adjustment of existing staff and disaffiliation of affiliated colleges".

Requests for conversion of state universities into central ones have been made on and off from several states. Besides, parliamentarians forward requests in this regard from their constituencies. But ministry officials said that the decision against such conversion has been taken as a matter of principle in view of the implementation of RUSA.

Such conversion had last taken place in 2009 when three state universities were turned into central universities. According to the ministry note, RUSA seeks to incentivise the state governments to improve higher education by creating additional capacity in existing institutions and setting up new institutions in un-served and under-served areas.

Under the scheme, state governments would have the flexibility to set up new universities and colleges keeping in mind local requirements.