Union Budget 2025: UGC chairman Jagadesh Kumar highlights increased outlay for higher education
The Hindu
UGC chairman highlights increased budget for higher education, Indian Knowledge Systems, Central universities, and student financial aid in 2025-26 Budget.
University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar has highlighted the increased outlay for higher education, Indian Knowledge Systems, Central universities, Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Students Financial Aid in the 2025-26 Budget.
“The substantial increase in the budget allocation for higher education, from ₹46,482.35 crore in 2024-25 to ₹50,077.95 crore in 2025-26, represents a significant 7.74% rise,” he said.
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A substantial increase in funding for the Indian Knowledge System, rising from ₹10 crore to ₹50 crore in the 2025-26 budget, will empower researchers and institutions to explore further, document, and disseminate India’s invaluable intellectual contributions. “This move will significantly boost UGC’s efforts to prepare 22,000 textbooks for UG & PG studies in 22 Indian languages,” he said. The Budget proposes a National Digital Repository of Indian Knowledge Systems
Mr. Kumar noted that the Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated ₹16,146.11 crore to Central Universities, a welcome increase from ₹15,538.23 crore in the previous fiscal year. This additional funding will empower these institutions to enhance their infrastructure further, support research initiatives, and provide quality education to students nationwide.
The Budget for the Centrally Sponsored Schemes has also increased to ₹1,815 Crore, which will strengthen the PM-USHA & RUSA, ultimately benefitting students. The substantial increase in Student Financial Aid to ₹2160 crore in the Union Budget 2025-26 is commendable. This significant boost of over 68% underscores the government’s commitment to making higher education accessible to all, regardless of their financial background.
Mr. Kumar said the proposed Centre of Excellence for AI in education, with an outlay of ₹500 crore, underscores the government’s recognition of AI’s transformative potential and its importance in shaping the future of learning. The budget for digitising the storage system for the academic credits through the Academic Bank of Credits has also increased to ₹16 Crore.
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