Mon Oct 13 14:02:46 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summary of the provided text, suitable for publication:

**Headline: CAG Slams Kerala’s RUSA Implementation, Cites Lapses and Delays**

**Thiruvananthapuram, October 13, 2025:** A scathing report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has revealed significant shortcomings in the Kerala Higher Education department’s execution of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at improving higher education. The report, covering the period ending March 2023, highlights delays, deviations from national guidelines, and financial mismanagement.

The CAG found that amendments to the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) Act, introduced five years after the RUSA guidelines, contained inconsistencies. A key point of contention is the appointment of the Higher Education Minister as chairperson of the KSHEC, contravening RUSA’s requirement for an eminent academic or public intellectual. Eight such deviations were identified.

Furthermore, the State Higher Education Plan (SHEP) was prepared without a mandatory baseline survey to assess access, equity, and quality gaps. Lengthy delays – from nearly a year to over four and a half years – plagued the submission of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) necessary for securing RUSA assistance.

The government’s decision to limit RUSA benefits to government colleges was also criticized, effectively excluding 166 NAAC-accredited aided colleges from potential funding. Notably, 35 colleges included in the SHEP submitted to the Centre lacked NAAC accreditation.

The CAG report exposes poor fund flow, delays in releasing the State’s share (up to 395 days), and the State’s failure to meet its commitment to increase higher education spending to 2% of the GSDP by 2020. Spending remained between 0.44% and 0.51% from 2018-2023. The report also highlighted ₹15.03 crore in “unfruitful expenditure” and ₹5.05 crore in “idle investment” due to incomplete projects at the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum in Kottayam and Chalakudy, sanctioned almost a decade ago due to “poor planning and lack of technical expertise”.

The findings raise serious questions about the effectiveness of RUSA implementation in Kerala and the impact on the quality and accessibility of higher education in the state. The report’s release is likely to trigger scrutiny from opposition parties and prompt calls for corrective action.

Read More