(a) : To ensure quality education to be imparted in All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) approved institutions, AICTE has set norms and standards to regulate the technical education by way of grant of approval for conducting courses and renewal of the same. In consonance with the provision of the University Grant Commission(UGC) (Establishment of and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) Regulations, 2003, the UGC has already conducted on the spot inspection of 159 out of 278 Private Universities to assess whether the Private Universities are fulfilling the minimum criteria in terms of programmes, faculty, infrastructural facilities, financial viability, etc., as laid down from time to time by the UGC and other concerned statutory bodies/councils. Copy of the UGC visiting committee report is sent to the concerned Private University to submit compliance in respect of the suggestions given by the UGC Committee. The report of the visiting committee alongwith the compliance submitted by the University is placed before a Committee of the Members of the Commission for consideration. The recommendations of this Committee are placed before the Commission to take final decision in the matter. As such, UGC is taking all the necessary steps to ensure quality of education in Universities.
(b) : There is not a single Indian educational institution in the top 20 world class institutions, as per various world rankings. To increase investments in the infrastructure of higher educational institutions, the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has been set up with an initial capital base of Rs. 300 crores. The HEFA has been incorporated as a Section 8 Company under the Company Act, 2013 and would mobilize debt/Bond funds from the market to finance improvement in infrastructure and research facilities in the higher educational institutions. The loans would be serviced through the internal accruals of the institutions.
This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.
