Big cuts in the budget to allocations of statutory and regulatory bodies - from Rs 6,809 crore to Rs 2,900 crore - indicated that the Higher Education Commission of India as envisaged in NE might see light of day.The funding for University Grants Commission (UGC) was notably slashed by almost 61%, dropping from Rs 6,409 crore to Rs 2,500 crore, which is likely to impact various higher education initiatives and projects under its purview.On the other hand, grants for central universities saw a significant increase of over Rs 4,000 crore, bringing the allocation to Rs 15,928 crore for 2024-25, while student aid for higher education went up by Rs 493 crore and allocation for research-innovation was increased by Rs 162 crore.
"State universities take care of 90% of enrolment and they need more funds and infrastructure.
I urge the government to give more funds to UGC," said Vinay Pathak, president, of Association of India Universities.

Budget 2024: UGC funds slashed, new panel on cards