Anurag Thakur, the Hamirpur MP and BJYM President lashed out at the Virbhadra government for their faulty implementation of Rashtriya Uchhtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for undergraduate courses. Anurag said in a press release , “RUSA had been introduced in a hasty manner by the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) colluding with the state government to get additional annual fat funds of 100 crores from the Centre. In their greed, Virbhadra government has played with the future of its students. Today, these students aren’t able to apply for their post-graduate courses in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh and other University because their RUSA degrees are not being recognised.”With many universities across India not recognizing RUSA degree of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) for postgraduate courses, future is hanging in balance for the students graduating in 2016 as well as the current graduates who are registered under RUSA system and would graduate in the coming years.
Thakur further expressed anger saying, “To make matters worse, the university is raising fees as well as planning to introduce RUSA system in its post graduate courses as well. No justification could be given for delaying the results, in some cases, for as long as 3 years. So now, if a 3rd year graduate gets to know he hasn’t cleared a 1st year course, he/she would return and wait for additional years to complete these courses again! Virbhadra government should answer why such hasty implementation was done? What was their urgent need for annual 100 crores fund? Was it worth playing with student’s future?”Thakur also plans to raise the issue in the parliament tomorrow on May 3, 2016. He has requested the HRD ministry to immediately intervene in the matter regarding implementation issues of RUSA, delayed results and proposed fee hike with HPU. Also, since the academic session for the first batch of RUSA undergraduates is about to end, he has been following up with HRD ministry that immediate directions be issued to Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh and other universities so that applications from HPU students be admitted until the matter be resolved.