7 months ago
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged superior lapses, delays and deviations successful the implementation of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) by the Kerala Higher Education department.
In its study for the play that ended March 2023, which included findings of the compliance audit of authorities departments, the CAG observed that the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) Act was amended successful 2018, 5 years aft the RUSA guidelines were introduced successful 2013. While this resulted successful delayed reforms, the amended Act contained provisions that were inconsistent with the Central guidelines.
State’s version
For one, portion RUSA stipulated that the Higher Education Council should beryllium chaired by an eminent world oregon nationalist intellectual, the State designated the Higher Education Minister arsenic the chairperson. The audit study detected 8 specified deviations, portion the State authorities maintained that the KSHEC Act was amended by incorporating bulk of the provisions envisaged successful the RUSA guidelines arsenic good arsenic the “specific considerations” of the State. It added that the amendments were not successful struggle oregon detrimental to the wide objectives of RUSA.
The CAG study besides highlighted that the State Higher Education Plan (SHEP) was prepared without conducting the mandatory baseline survey to measure access, equity and prime gaps. It besides pointed retired delays ranging from 347 days to implicit four-and-a-half years by institutions successful submitting Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), which are mandatory to person assistance nether the Central scheme.
The government’s determination to restrict RUSA benefits to authorities colleges besides drew criticism. The determination seemingly prevented 166 NAAC-accredited aided colleges from being considered for funding. The study pointed retired that the KSHEC projected six universities and 63 authorities colleges successful the SHEP submitted to the Centre for funding. Notably, 35 colleges among those included connected the database did not person NAAC accreditation
Poor money flow
The audit observed that fiscal absorption nether RUSA was marred by mediocre money travel and delays of up to 395 days successful the merchandise of the State’s share. Besides, the State failed to conscionable its ain committedness nether the RUSA memorandum of knowing to rise higher acquisition spending to 2% of the GSDP by 2020. Instead, the spending hovered betwixt 0.44% and 0.51% betwixt 2018 and 2023.
The CAG besides flagged an “unfruitful expenditure of ₹15.03 crore and idle concern of ₹5.05 crore” by the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum connected 2 projects successful Kottayam and Chalakudy. Both projects, sanctioned astir a decennary ago, stay incomplete owed to mediocre readying and deficiency of method expertise.
