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Dr Anshu Kataria, President of the Federation of Self Financing Technical Institutions and the Punjab Unaided Colleges Association, has urged the Central Government to review land and infrastructure norms for colleges and universities. He said outdated regulations and high land costs are restricting expansion, especially in urban centres. With India projected to need around 2,500 universities and nearly 1 lakh colleges by 2040 to raise the Gross Enrolment Ratio to 55-60 percent, he stressed that private participation is essential and requires practical, transparent and investment-friendly policies.
Dr Anshu Kataria, President of the Federation of Self Financing Technical Institutions (FSFTI) and the Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA), has called on the Central Government to undertake a comprehensive review of land and infrastructure standards required for establishing colleges and universities in India. He stated that many of the existing regulations were framed in a different economic context and no longer align with present realities. While regulatory oversight has played a role in maintaining academic standards, he cautioned that excessively rigid norms are now limiting the expansion of higher education capacity. Advertisement
Highlighting the scale of future demand, Dr Kataria said India would require nearly 2,500 universities and around 1 lakh colleges by 2040 to meet the aspirations of its growing youth population and to raise the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education to 55-60 percent. He indicated that such expansion cannot be achieved through government funding alone and would require sustained participation from private and self-financing institutions. According to him, investment-friendly policies and regulatory transparency are necessary to attract credible education providers to underserved districts and emerging regions.
He pointed out that rising land prices, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas where student demand and employment linkages are stronger, have made new campus development financially challenging. Self-financing institutions, which operate without government grants or subsidies, depend largely on student fees to maintain academic operations and infrastructure. In this context, strict land and infrastructure requirements significantly increase project costs and can make institutions commercially unviable in high-demand locations, limiting access for students seeking education close to job markets.
Dr Kataria also referred to variations in land requirements across regulators and types of institutions, which often create compliance difficulties. In the past, technical institutions were required to operate on large land parcels. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) earlier prescribed land norms ranging from 1.5 to 7.5 acres for engineering and technical colleges. Recent reforms by AICTE have shifted focus from fixed land norms to built-up area requirements, reflecting a change in regulatory thinking. Previously, polytechnic institutions required 1.5 to 4 acres, while MBA and MCA colleges required 0.5 to 1 acre.
He further explained that private universities established under State Acts generally require between 10 and 25 acres of land. Medical colleges regulated by the National Medical Commission require 10 to 20 acres, with certain relaxations in metropolitan areas. Law colleges governed by the Bar Council of India must have at least 2 acres. Teacher education colleges under the National Council for Teacher Education need between 2,000 and 3,000 square metres. Architecture colleges regulated by the Council of Architecture require 1 to 2.5 acres. Pharmacy colleges under the Pharmacy Council of India and AICTE need 0.75 to 2 acres. Hotel management institutes regulated by the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology require 1 to 3 acres. Such variations, he said, complicate planning and add to compliance costs.
Representing nearly 8,000 self-financing technical institutions across the country, Dr Kataria said unaided colleges are facing increasing financial pressure due to high compliance costs. Many institutions engaged in workforce development for decades are required to continuously maintain laboratories, hostels and academic infrastructure without any public financial support. While acknowledging the importance of maintaining quality standards, he said regulations should be realistic and sensitive to the financial framework within which private institutions operate. Otherwise, the sector risks losing credible institutions that play a key role in expanding access.
He also spoke about the changing nature of the education ecosystem in the digital era. With the growth of smart classrooms, virtual laboratories, hybrid learning models and online delivery systems, he said campus size alone cannot be treated as the main indicator of quality. Academic outcomes, faculty strength, research output, innovation, industry collaboration and digital infrastructure should also be considered. He observed that globally, higher education is gradually moving towards compact, technology-enabled campuses, particularly in urban settings, and India's regulatory framework should adapt accordingly.
While welcoming recent relaxations proposed by AICTE on land requirements for technical institutions, Dr Kataria said isolated reforms may not be sufficient to meet the scale of expansion required. He suggested the need for a national policy approach that integrates central guidelines with state-level regulations and urban development norms to avoid conflicting compliance demands. A coordinated system, he added, would reduce uncertainty for investors and enable long-term planning in education infrastructure.
Dr Kataria concluded that rationalising land and infrastructure norms is linked to India's broader human capital and economic goals. He said empowering self-financing institutions, including Aryans Group of Colleges and thousands of other unaided colleges, to expand responsibly would be crucial in meeting future education demand. He urged policymakers to treat regulatory reform as a necessary step to strengthen higher education capacity, support labour market needs and position India as a global learning destination.
Source PTI
FAQ
1. What has Dr Anshu Kataria demanded regarding higher education regulations?
Dr Anshu Kataria, President of the Federation of Self Financing Technical Institutions (FSFTI) and the Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA), has urged the Central Government to review and rationalise land and infrastructure norms for setting up colleges and universities. He stated that many regulations were framed years ago and do not reflect current economic realities, rising land prices or modern teaching models.
2. Why does he believe the rules need revision now?
Dr Kataria argued that outdated land requirements and high urban land costs are restricting expansion, especially in cities where student demand and employment opportunities are stronger. He noted that strict land norms significantly increase project costs for self-financing institutions, which operate without government grants. According to him, unless regulations become practical and investment-friendly, India may struggle to expand higher education capacity at the required pace.
3. How many universities and colleges will India need by 2040?
He estimated that India would require around 2,500 universities and nearly 1 lakh colleges by 2040 to raise the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 55-60 percent. Achieving this target, he said, would not be possible through government funding alone and would require strong participation from private and self-financing institutions supported by transparent and stable policies.
4. What are the current land requirements across different regulators?
Land norms vary widely across sectors. Earlier, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) prescribed 1.5 to 7.5 acres for engineering colleges, though recent reforms focus more on built-up area. Private universities under State Acts typically require 10-25 acres. Medical colleges regulated by the National Medical Commission need 10-20 acres. Law colleges under the Bar Council of India require at least 2 acres. Teacher education institutes under the National Council for Teacher Education require 2,000-3,000 sq m, while architecture colleges under the Council of Architecture require 1-2.5 acres. Pharmacy and hotel management institutes also have separate acreage norms. These variations, he said, create compliance complexity.
5. How do land norms impact self-financing institutions?
Self-financing institutions rely mainly on student fees to maintain infrastructure, laboratories and hostels. With no direct government financial support, strict land and infrastructure norms increase capital expenditure and borrowing needs. In high-demand urban areas, where land prices are steep, this can make new projects commercially unviable and restrict access for students who prefer institutions closer to job markets.
6. What changes in the education ecosystem did Dr Kataria highlight?
He pointed out that the digital transformation of education including smart classrooms, virtual labs, hybrid learning and online delivery has reduced dependence on very large physical campuses. He suggested that quality should be measured through academic outcomes, faculty strength, research output, innovation and industry linkages rather than campus size alone. He noted that globally, many institutions are moving towards compact, technology-enabled campuses.
7. What broader policy approach has been suggested?
Dr Kataria recommended a coordinated national framework that aligns central guidelines, state regulations and urban development norms. He said a unified and transparent system would reduce uncertainty for investors, support long-term planning and help India meet its human capital goals. According to him, rationalising land norms is directly linked to expanding higher education access and strengthening the country's economic future.
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