The Human Resource Development Ministry on Thursday signed an MoU for the third phase of Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP-III) with 18 states and a Union Territory for improving the overall standard and quality of technical institutes.

To be implemented as a 'central scheme' from April 2017 with assistance from the World Bank, the project has an outlay of Rs 2,660 crore. It will be co-terminous with the 14th Finance Commission (2019-20).

An estimated 200 government and government-aided engineering institutes and Affiliating Technical Universities (ATUs), including Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), will benefit from the project. 

Autonomous institutes will be entitled to funds of up to Rs 15 crore, non-autonomous institutes up to Rs 10 crore, ATUs up to Rs 20 crore and mentor institutions up to Rs 7 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said the programme was vital for the much-needed technical up-gradation in educational institutes.

"Innovation and research can happen only when physical infrastructure and trained manpower is available," he said. 

The MoU was signed with seven low-income states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh; three hill states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand; and eight north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

The sole UT involved in the project is Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The TEQIP commenced in 2003 with World Bank assistance as a long-term programme to be implemented in three phases. The first phase ended in March 2009 whereas the second phase commenced in August 2010 and is scheduled to conclude in March 2017. 

India on Wednesday signed an agreement with the World Bank to facilitate credit of $201.50 million for TEQIP-III.