UT has 55 nursing institutions with intake of 2,813
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 10: Under the Central Sector Scheme for the development of Nursing Services, three nursing institutions in Jammu and Kashmir have been approved for upgradation, according to the Union Health Ministry.
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The institutions cleared include GNM School Kulgam, ANMT School Kathua and ANMT School Doda and each received Rs 3.75 crore in 2020-21 for infrastructure and academic enhancement.
The figures also highlight ongoing efforts to expand nursing education nationwide through the establishment of 157 new nursing colleges in co-location with Medical Colleges set up since 2014.
As per the Ministry, in J&K, seven districts-Udhampur, Handwara (Kupwara), Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri, Doda and Kathua-were initially identified for new colleges.
However, only the nursing college at Handwara has been approved so far, with the Centre releasing Rs 2 crore in 2023-24.
In Ladakh, as per details, one nursing college at Leh has been sanctioned under the scheme, receiving Rs 2.5 crore in 2024-25.
According to official figures, J&K currently has 55 nursing institutions with a combined intake capacity of 2,813 seats.
These include 10 ANM schools with 335 seats, 19 GNM institutes with 805 seats, 26 BSc Nursing colleges with 1,400 seats, five MSc Nursing colleges with 103 seats, and four Post Basic BSc Nursing institutes offering 170 seats.
J&K and Ladakh, each with one new college approved, the Ministry, said remain part of the nationwide expansion, in addition to the three earlier upgradation projects in J&K. Several identified districts in the Union Territory are still awaiting formal approval.
The Ministry said the funding pattern for these projects is 90:10 for northeastern and special category States, and 60:40 for others, with recurring expenditure to be borne by State Governments and Union Territories.
The Ministry said that the approvals have so far been issued for 113 of the 157 proposed new colleges across the country.
These include institutions in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim.
Funds released range between Rs 2 crore and Rs 9 crore depending on the State and stage of implementation.
National data shared by the Ministry also details the state-wise distribution of seats across nursing programmes-including ANM, GNM, BSc Nursing, MSc Nursing, Post Basic B.Sc Nursing, Post Basic Diploma, Nurse Practitioner, PhD Nursing and MPhil-highlighting wide regional disparities.
States such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh host the largest number of institutions, while Union Territories like Lakshadweep and smaller northeastern States have limited capacity.
The Centre, Ministry stated, has additionally released the full list of 157 districts identified for new nursing colleges, along with year-wise fund releases over the past five years.
The Ministry said the twin schemes aim to strengthen the country’s nursing workforce by increasing capacity, improving quality and ensuring wider geographical access to nursing education.
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