Mumbai: The state’s higher and technical education department has floated a proposal of Rs 6,000 crore to improve research infrastructure across public universities and govt institutions, such as VJTI, and College of Engineering Pune. Drawn on the lines of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) scheme, the proposal for this scheme, termed as CM-USHA, will be directed towards upgrading and modernising laboratories and libraries. This is probably the first time in about 20 years that the govt has taken up the proposal to upgrade research facilities across govt institutions in the state. Help will be sought from IIT-Bombay to replicate their laboratory models.As per the proposal, funding will be provided separately for each specific project, rather than as a fixed or ongoing amount, said an official. The progress of these projects will be closely monitored, and updates will be sought at regular intervals, he added. The proposal, aligned with the long-term benefits envisioned under Viksit Maharashtra, has been already shared with the finance department for consideration.“Many of our institutions continue to rely on outdated equipment, which is limiting students’ employment prospects. For instance, a nanotechnology department at a leading public university is still using equipment purchased two decades ago. The industry is, therefore, often reluctant to hire graduates who lack hands-on exposure to the equipment currently in use and are therefore not job-ready. Government institutions urgently need infrastructure upgrades to provide real shop-floor experience. Many private institutions, on the other hand, are able to offer such exposure through regular investments in research facilities,” said an official. If approved, the proposal is expected to significantly improve placements in the long run, he said.Govt institutions in state, such as the Institute of Chemical Technology, do well in the National Institutional Ranking Framework and therefore, need to be encouraged, said another official. As part of the initiative, the department is planning to tie up with IIT-Bombay and seek their help to modernise laboratories in state institutions.A professor from a govt institution said they have been getting equipment with help from funding through corporate social responsibility. “We also have some centres of excellence where we regularly upgrade research infrastructure. But what our students are exposed to is no match to the exposure that students from IITs and NITs get. These days, most industry equipment is AI-enabled, and therefore, the ones we have are naturally outdated,” said the professor.
