BHUBANESWAR: The State government has initiated the process for settlement of government land under the possession of educational institutions to make them eligible for Central funding under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) and other schemes.
The Higher Education department has asked the higher secondary schools and colleges built on government land without having the record of rights (RoRs) to furnish its details including present benchmark value to the Revenue and Disaster Management department within 15 days.
The land settlement, however, will be carried out for the government and aided colleges under Higher Education department and higher secondary schools under the School and Mass Education department.
Once the details are received from the higher secondary schools and colleges concerned, the Revenue Department will place the matter before the State Cabinet for a policy decision on settlement of the government land in favour of these educational institutions. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra on August 9.
An official from the Higher Education department said schools and colleges, including some of the reputed institutions established since long, have been deprived of Central funding under RUSA or other schemes due to lack of land records. Besides, the colleges do not get good ranking during NAAC assessment.
The educational institutions have failed to get the RoRs as it requires to pay a hefty amount for premium of government land, incidental charges, arrear ground rent, cess and penalty with interest for settlement. Though a decision to prepare a policy for settlement of educational institutions’ land was taken in 2018, it couldn’t be materialised.
The officials said the new policy will be framed soon in which the area under the possession of standalone government degree colleges and higher secondary schools recorded in the name of Higher Education, and School and Mass Education will continue to be recorded in the name of departments concerned. In cases of aided colleges and schools, the land will be kept in their names with strict adherence to all revenue norms, they added.