The Union Ministry of Education has issued a warning to West Bengal’s education department, urging quick action to complete pending projects under the Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) — a major national program aimed at improving higher education across India.
Union Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, who is also a former BJP leader in West Bengal, sent a formal letter to West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu, highlighting the need to speed up progress on these projects.
According to sources, even though the Central government has provided funds for higher education in West Bengal, there has been very little progress in completing RUSA projects over the past 10 years. Out of 205 approved projects since 2013, only a few have been finished.
The central government has allocated Rs 544.73 crore to West Bengal for these projects, but so far, Rs 383.69 crore has been released. Despite this, progress remains slow, and many projects have been stagnant for years.
Moreover, Rs 100 crore was set aside for various state universities to help boost higher education, but these funds have not been fully utilized. Even smaller amounts, like Rs 2 crore allocated to individual colleges for development, have not been used properly.
Bratya Basu said he has yet to see the letter and needs to review its contents before commenting further.
So, what is RUSA? Launched in 2013 by the Union Ministry of Education, RUSA — also known as the National Higher Education Mission — provides crucial funding to state colleges and universities. Its goal is to make higher education more accessible, fair, and high-quality across India.
This warning from the central government underlines the importance of completing these projects swiftly to boost higher education in West Bengal. The focus now is on accelerating work and making sure the allocated funds are put to good use.
