PARLIAMENT QUESTION: UGC Funding and Institutional Autonomy

The Ministry of Education released Rs 13,839.43 crore to the UGC in 2021‑22, increasing to Rs 20,527.43 crore in 2025‑26, with expenditures closely matching releases each year. Of the total released, Rs 73,148.65 crore went to Central Universities and Rs 2,743.04 crore to Institutions Deemed to be Universities. Under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM‑USHA/RUSA), the central share released to States/UTs rose from Rs 249.13 crore in 2021‑22 to Rs 864.25 crore in 2025‑26, with Rs 507.00 crore released in 2026‑27 (as of 06‑08‑2026). The UGC also disbursed Rs 931.44 crore for reimbursement‑based grants and Rs 1,818.46 crore as a fixed salary grant to Punjab University during 2021‑26. The Ministry also introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025, referred to a Joint Committee.