New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the implementation of the ‘Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education’ (MERITE) scheme in 275 technical institutions across the country.
The MERITE Scheme will cover 175 engineering institutions and 100 polytechnics, aiming to improve the quality, equity and governance of technical education in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recently completed its five years.
MERITE is a Central Sector Scheme with a total financial outlay of Rs 4,200 crore for the period 2025-26 to 2029-30, including Rs 2,100 crore in external assistance from the World Bank. Selected NITs, state engineering colleges, polytechnics and affiliating technical universities (ATUs) will benefit from the initiative.
State and UT departments handling technical education will also be supported.
The MERITE Scheme is expected to benefit around 7.5 lakh students by enhancing their learning, employability and innovation capabilities. Major outcomes include digitisation strategies, multidisciplinary curriculum development, increased student transition rates and the establishment of research and innovation hubs.
MERITE will also support faculty development, particularly encouraging women in academic leadership, while promoting labour market-aligned curricula, accreditation standards and blended learning models.
Institutions like IITs, IIMs and regulatory bodies such as AICTE and NBA will play key roles in implementation.
The scheme also emphasises employment generation by providing students with industry-aligned internships, updated skills and access to innovation centres, maker labs, as well as language workshops.
