Sarkari Yojana
AICTE-Margdarshan scheme
About AICTE-Margdarshan scheme
AICTE rolled out the Margdarshan Initiative in 2018 to lift the overall standard of technical education by helping institutes secure accreditation, using the resources already available at well-established host institutes. Functioning as a facilitative mechanism, it works to strengthen the support ecosystem across AICTE-approved institutes so their quality improves across every domain.
Margdarshan Institute or Mentor Institute (MI):
A well-regarded, AICTE-approved institute — or a Centrally Funded Institute such as an IIT, NIT, IIIT, IISc, IISER, or IIM — takes on the role of Margdarshan Institute (Mentor Institute, or MI) and mentors as many as 10 nearby institutes toward accreditation.
Mentee Beneficiary Institute (MBI):
The MI supports each Mentee Beneficiary Institute (MBI) by sharing proven practices, guiding it through project-proposal drafting, and helping it move toward outcome-based education, among other things. An MBI should sit within roughly 200 km of its MI. When applying, the MI must list its proposed MBIs, capped at 10 institutes, and taking part as an MBI is entirely voluntary. Once AICTE confirms an institute’s nomination as MI, an MoU gets signed between the MI and each associated MBI — the Council itself does not sanction any financial dealings arising from this MoU, and the two sides are free to settle the general terms between themselves. The MoU must, however, carry an undertaking from each MBI confirming that:
- It has never been enrolled as an MI by AICTE.
- It has never been paired as an MBI with any other MI.
- None of its programmes have earned accreditation in the past ten years.
Prerequisites:
Before taking on MI status, an institute must run an initial assessment of its prospective MBI to gauge whether the host institute has what it takes to achieve accreditation — checking basics like admission numbers over the last three years, faculty strength, and infrastructure. Picking an MBI that lacks real potential would defeat the purpose. MIs are required to submit each proposed MBI’s current department-wise sanctioned intake, actual enrolment, and existing accreditation status.
Scheme Overview
Central Government
Ministry of Education
University / Institution
01 Jan 2018
Scheme Details
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for AICTE-Margdarshan scheme, applicants must satisfy the following conditions:
For Margdarshan Institute or Mentor Institute (MI):
The university, institute, or college must carry AICTE…
The university, institute, or college must carry AICTE approval, though this isn't mandatory for Centrally Funded Institutions where applicable.
Among AICTE-approved institutions, the MI needs to already…
Among AICTE-approved institutions, the MI needs to already hold accreditation to be considered, and that accreditation must still have at least 6 months of validity left from the date the proposal is submitted.
Institutions with other programmes:
For AICTE-approved institutions outside engineering — Management, Hotel Management, and similar fields — the accreditation status likewise needs at least 6 months of validity remaining from the application date.
Institutions with Diploma Courses:
An institute running only diploma courses can also apply for MI status, provided it runs at least four diploma courses with accreditation valid for a minimum of 6 more months from the application date. For Mentee Beneficiary Institute (MBI):
Mentoring under this scheme is open only to…
Mentoring under this scheme is open only to AICTE-approved institutes.
The institute must never have been enrolled as…
The institute must never have been enrolled as an MI by AICTE.
It must never have been paired as an…
It must never have been paired as an MBI with any other MI.
None of its programmes should have gained accreditation…
None of its programmes should have gained accreditation in the past ten years.
Benefits Provided
AICTE-Margdarshan scheme provides the following benefits to eligible applicants:
For Margdarshan Institute or Mentor Institute (MI):
The Council sets aside a token grant-in-aid of ₹ 3,00,000/- for each MBI, so an MI running the scheme for a full set of 10 MBIs can receive up to ₹ 30,00,000/- in total.
A fitting honorarium is payable to staff — the Chief Coordinator and support personnel — engaged in running the scheme, booked under the head 'Honorarium for MI Staff', capped at 4% of the total grant allotted.
For a serving or retired academician acting as an MI's Internal Expert: travel allowance covers AC 2-tier train fare or Chair Car, or travel by own car/taxi capped at the prevailing government-notified taxi rate for the area — paid through the concerned MI out of the AICTE grant-in-aid. The honorarium is ₹ 3,000/- per day. Local support — lodging, boarding, secretarial help, workspace and other utilities — is arranged by the host MBI whenever such experts visit.
Note: Total expenditure can never exceed the funds sanctioned to the MI, and nothing beyond that ceiling will be reimbursed.
For Mentee Beneficiary Institute (MBI):
MIs and their associated MBIs should jointly coordinate every activity to get the most benefit and push the MBI toward accreditation-ready standards. Suggested activities include:
General:
Workshops on the accreditation process and SWOT analysis…
Workshops on the accreditation process and SWOT analysis for MBIs.
FDPs/workshops on generating and submitting infrastructure project proposals…
FDPs/workshops on generating and submitting infrastructure project proposals through various state/central schemes.
Workshops on promoting research, consultancy, and industrial projects
Workshops on promoting research, consultancy, and industrial projects.
Guest lectures aimed at motivating faculty
Guest lectures aimed at motivating faculty.
Visits to the MI or other accredited institutes
Visits to the MI or other accredited institutes.
Benchmarking exercises with discussions on programme/department-wise accreditation targets
Benchmarking exercises with discussions on programme/department-wise accreditation targets.
Guest lectures on innovation, start-ups, and entrepreneurship for…
Guest lectures on innovation, start-ups, and entrepreneurship for faculty and students.
Workshops on curriculum revision and new teaching-learning methods…
Workshops on curriculum revision and new teaching-learning methods that support outcome-based education (OBE).
Clear mapping of activities against Graduate Attributes
Clear mapping of activities against Graduate Attributes.
Workshops spreading awareness of various AICTE initiatives for…
Workshops spreading awareness of various AICTE initiatives for institutional, faculty, and student development.
FDPs/workshops on NIRF ranking parameters
FDPs/workshops on NIRF ranking parameters. Institutional Reforms:
Rolling out curricular reforms and development
Rolling out curricular reforms and development.
Lifting student performance and evaluation standards
Lifting student performance and evaluation standards.
Introducing student-based performance appraisal of faculty
Introducing student-based performance appraisal of faculty.
Arranging guest/special lectures
Arranging guest/special lectures.
Helping the institute organise faculty development programmes
Helping the institute organise faculty development programmes.
Encouraging research interaction and innovation among faculty and…
Encouraging research interaction and innovation among faculty and students.
Emphasising technical and life-skill development
Emphasising technical and life-skill development.
Supporting faculty in strengthening outcome-based education
Supporting faculty in strengthening outcome-based education. Quality Improvement:
Improving how well students learn
Improving how well students learn.
Boosting student employability
Boosting student employability.
Raising faculty productivity and motivation through professional development
Raising faculty productivity and motivation through professional development.
Lifting the average scores of students in tests…
Lifting the average scores of students in tests measuring technical and critical-thinking skills.
Filling sanctioned faculty positions with regular or contract…
Filling sanctioned faculty positions with regular or contract staff per AICTE norms.
Increasing the number of faculty trained in their…
Increasing the number of faculty trained in their subject domain, pedagogy, or management.
Getting institutes involved in newly designed research-hub activities
Getting institutes involved in newly designed research-hub activities.
Raising average satisfaction levels among students, staff, and…
Raising average satisfaction levels among students, staff, and faculty.
Documents Required
Applicants should keep the following documents ready before starting the application:
The endorsing checklist below must accompany the Application cum Detailed Project Report:
Basic details of the institute
Basic details of the institute
Number of MBIs proposed in the Detailed Project…
Number of MBIs proposed in the Detailed Project Report (DPR)
Consent from all MBIs named in the DPR
Consent from all MBIs named in the DPR
Programme-wise (Diploma/UG/PG) pre-qualifiers for each MBI
Programme-wise (Diploma/UG/PG) pre-qualifiers for each MBI
Self-undertaking
Self-undertaking
Details of the proposed activities
Details of the proposed activities
Mandate form
Mandate form
2018-01-01
How to Apply
Offline Application
Applicants can apply for AICTE-Margdarshan scheme through the offline application process outlined below.
An institute pursuing MI status must send in…
An institute pursuing MI status must send in an application signed by its head, together with the detailed project report (DPR).
Make sure every page of the application carries…
Make sure every page of the application carries the Head of Institute's signature and stamp.
Attach all the necessary supporting documents to the…
Attach all the necessary supporting documents to the completed application.
Double-check that everything is accurate, then send the…
Double-check that everything is accurate, then send the application form with all supporting documents to the address given in AICTE's latest circular.
Exclusions / Who Is Not Eligible
> **For Margdarshan Institute or Mentor Institute(MI):**
- AICTE approved institutions having break in extension of approval or no admission in the institute for any reason, whatsoever, in the last 10 years shall not be considered.
- An institution cannot submit more than one project proposal for MI scheme.
- Department wise nomination is not acceptable.
- An institute having common management/board/parent trust will not be eligible for MI if another institute under the same parental control is already functioning as MI.
- The proposals of institutes having only UG courses accredited shall not be considered for mentoring of MBIs seeking accreditation of PG programs.
> **For Mentee Beneficiary Institute (MBI):**
- Any institute functioning under the same board/management/ trust as that of MI is not permitted for adoption as MBI under the scheme.
Official Application & Website
Verify the latest eligibility, dates and instructions before applying.