The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the implementation of the ‘Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education’ (MERITE) Scheme, aimed at enhancing the quality, equity and governance of technical education across the country.
The scheme, to be implemented in 275 technical institutions — including 175 engineering colleges and 100 polytechnics — will cover all States and Union Territories. It will run from 2025-26 to 2029-30 with a total financial outlay of ₹4,200 crore, half of which will come as a World Bank loan.
According to the government, MERITE will benefit an estimated 7.5 lakh students in selected National Institutes of Technology, state engineering institutions, polytechnics and affiliating technical universities. State and UT technical education departments will also be supported under the programme.
The initiative is aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and seeks to introduce multidisciplinary programmes, improve learning and employability skills, strengthen research and innovation, and enhance quality assurance mechanisms. It also aims to make curricula more relevant to labour market needs, expand blended learning, and develop future academic administrators, with a focus on women faculty.
IITs, IIMs and higher education regulatory bodies such as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) will play a key role in the scheme’s execution.
The government said the programme will also focus on increasing students’ employability by providing internships, industry-aligned curriculum updates, faculty development programmes, and support for research hubs, incubation centres, skill labs and language workshops. These measures, it added, are expected to improve placement rates and reduce unemployment among engineering graduates.
Framed in collaboration with the World Bank, the MERITE scheme is based on the reforms envisioned in the NEP-2020. It incorporates feedback from States and UTs gathered during multiple consultations, with a view to addressing gender gaps in technical education, bridging the digital divide, and fostering an inclusive and innovative learning environment.