Rs 40 crore RUSA funds sanctioned to Utkal University in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s premier educational institution Utkal University has been granted a sum of Rs 40 crore funds under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for infrastructure development.

The varsity, which has secured the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)’s ‘A Plus’ grade and is placed in top RUSA II list, has met criteria to receive Rs 100 crore during next three years.

Accordingly, Utkal University has been sanctioned Rs 40 crore in first phase of RUSA II, informed Odisha State Higher Education Council vice chairman Prof. Ashok Kumar Das.

Prof. Das, who is the former VC of Utkal University, said that the Centre has decided to make 10 universities as the top educational institutions with best infrastructure facilities to the students for which Rs 100 crore will be sanctioned to each university under RUSA for next three years.

Utkal University is among top 10 institutions in RUSA list. The funds were released in first phase after Utkal University VC Prof. Soumendra Mohan Patnaik tabled a report at a meeting in New Delhi few months ago, he said.

RUSA is a centrally sponsored, overarching holistic and comprehensive umbrella scheme for norm-based funding for the State Universities and Colleges to achieve the goals of expansion, equity and excellence with the aim of imparting relevant and value based education for improving employability. While the Centre will provide Rs 25 crore out of Rs 40 crore under the scheme, the remaining Rs 15 crore will be borne by the State government.

After submitting the first phase fund utilisation report to the Centre, the remaining Rs 60 crore will be sanctioned to the university in second phase of the scheme, said Prof Das.