CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu may lose funds allotted through the much touted higher education scheme Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) this year.
While several states have already submitted their proposals under the project and availed of funds for the year 2014-15, TN is yet to send its proposal.
“We were initially delayed by only a couple of months. But then the elections came in and the model code of conduct fell in place. As such, we’ve lost several months. Now, we have gathered proposals from all the State universities, government and aided colleges. The State proposal is almost completed. But after the elections, there has been some delay in getting a meeting with the MHRD. This is what is delaying the submission,” said a senior official with the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TNSCHE).
The largest scheme of its kind, RUSA, which will be funded by the Union and the State government in the ratio of 65:35, will provide funding according to the demands put up by the higher education institutions concerned according to their proposals, over a four-year long process. The states are to get a funding between `90 crore to `150 crore for the year 2014-15.
“The funding of RUSA is highly performance-based. One of the criteria for performance is timely completion. As such, those states and UTs which delay the project may not get 100 per cent of the funding for the year,” said Venkatesh Kumar B, professor with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and consultant, National RUSA Authority.
Another factor is that with the increasing delay, capacity of the State to complete projects within the end of the current financial year ending March 2015 is also reduced. Since this will lead to fund lapse, the bargaining power of the State is also reduced.