Why in News?

• Equip stands for Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion
• The Ministry of HRD plans to launch this ambitious ₹5 lakh crore action plan to improve the quality and accessibility of higher education over the next five years.

Highlights:

• The Centre would mobilise money from the marketplace through the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
• The joint venture between the HRD Ministry and Canara Bank, set up in 2017, has been tasked with raising ₹1 lakh crore to finance infrastructure improvements in higher education by 2022.

Objectives of the project:

• The committees have drafted strategy to improve access to higher education, especially for underserved communities:
  • improve the gross enrolment ratio;
  • improve teaching and learning processes;

• build educational infrastructure.
• improve the quality of research and innovation;
• use technology and online learning tools; and

work on accreditation systems, governance structures and financing.

A news NEP:

• This is being described as the implementation plan for the National Education Policy — a 2014 poll promise from the
• The last NEP was released in 1986, with a revision in