Temjen Imna Along says Nagaland has completed all Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) 2.0 projects and leads the Northeast in PM-USHA approvals.
Share
CHUCHUYIMPANG — Minister for Higher Education and Tourism, Temjen Imna Along, announced on June 8 that the Department of Higher Education has successfully completed all major projects under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) 2.0, positioning Nagaland among the first states in the country to achieve this feat without any hurdles.
The minister made the announcement during the inauguration of the upgraded academic classrooms at Fazl Ali College in Mokokchung, an initiative by the Nagaland government aimed at enhancing the quality of higher education across the state.
According to the Higher Education Nagaland website, a total outlay of INR 84 crore was approved under RUSA 2.0 for 10 projects in the state.
Describing the RUSA and PM-USHA projects as transformative, Along expressed pride in the department’s achievements.
“Every college in Nagaland that received RUSA 2.0 funding has successfully completed its projects. The Department of Higher Education can hold its head high for completing RUSA 2 projects in style, in apologies, and in achievement,” he said.
He highlighted that under the PM-USHA scheme, Nagaland has secured approvals for six colleges and sanctions for four — a record in the Northeast region, as no other state in the area has received even two. Additionally, the state received quality initiatives for three districts, compared to just one for Meghalaya and none for several others, he said.
Also read: Nagaland Education departments sign MoU to strengthen skill and vocational courses
Despite only seven to eight months remaining before the next elections, the minister emphasised that he is not rushing for polls but is instead focused on completing ongoing PM-USHA projects.
These include four new model colleges in Tseminyu, Niuland, Noklak, and Shamator, along with two other colleges in Tuli and Chümoukedima that have received in-principle approval.
Along minister stressed that the success is the result of collective effort and mutual trust between the Centre and the state. “It is not the achievement of one individual but of everyone working together. Instead of sarcasm or hypocrisy, we must unite for a common agenda and ensure its success,” he urged.
Along called upon all stakeholders to race against time, maintain quality, and complete projects promptly.
He mentioned plans to reopen the PM-USHA programme for Mokokchung district within the month, which would benefit Fazl Ali College with another girls’ hostel, along with projects at NCDA and Mangkolemba Model College.
In a broader address on education and societal progress, he emphasised the need for transformation.
“The time of reformation is gone; the time for transformation is to be taken by all of us,” he said, adding transformation do not happen in one go but we sow seeds of transformation.
Education, he said is a subject matter of human resource, and if our human resource is poor, our state will be poor.
'If our human resource is incapable, then our state will not be able to fight in the forefronts of the state's progress in economy, entrepreneurship, startups, intellectuals, research and scientific temper. If our human resources are lazy, we will be behind the states of the nation of Bharat. So now we work together as a state, as a people, not only among students and teachers and politicians and executives and engineers, but also among our community,' he said.
Vikhebu Yeptho, in his technical report, stated that the upgrade project was undertaken to meet the growing infrastructure needs of the college by adding new academic classrooms under RUSA 2.0.
The 24-month project was completed at a cost of INR 1.80 crore.