Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee made a special provision to grant Rs.500 million to the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The allocation is in recognition to the university’s track record in the cause of distance education. The amount needed to meet the expenses towards the university’s expansion plans.
Rest of the allocation of Rs.900 million sanctioned by the budget for distance education, Rs.400 million will go to state open universities. The IGNOU will use the Rs.500 million funds to implement its varied schemes.
IGNOU which has served as a vanguard in furthering the cause of distance education in the country came up for praise during the presentation of the Union Budget 2009-10 proposals.
Billed as the largest Open University in the world, IGNOU caters to over two million students in the country and abroad. It offers and imparts more than 300 courses through distance education mode.
The university has embarked on a novel project by launching 100 community colleges through which it aims to bring about a "learning revolution" among under-privileged.