In an effort to promote higher education in the educationally backward districts of north-eastern region, Union human resource development ministry has formulated a new initiative with the ministry of development of north-eastern region (DONER). The HRD ministry has written to the north-eastern states asking them to give the go-ahead to the HRD ministry and DONER to establish model degree colleges in these districts with funds from the non-lapsable pool of DONER.
Official sources stated that the HRD ministry has written a letter in this regard to the chief secretaries of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura informing them of the decision. The letter states that “the ministry of DONER is of the view that it will fund the capital cost of these colleges as part of the states share as per the scheme.