AICTE - Grant for Augmenting Infrastructure in North Eastern Region (GAINER)

What is the AICTE GAINER scheme?

The Grant for Augmenting Infrastructure in North Eastern Region (GAINER) is a scheme of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the statutory technical-education regulator under the Ministry of Education. According to the AICTE scheme document, GAINER is the successor to the earlier "Special Scheme for NER (Solar Energy Plant, Solving Water Problem and Internet Connection)" and is implemented through IIT Guwahati.

Its objective is plainly stated: to "enhance the functional efficiency of the technical institutes located in far-flung areas of North East India, by addressing deficiencies in water, electricity and internet connectivity in the campuses." The North East is largely hilly, with irregular water supply in dry seasons, patchy electricity, and internet connectivity below the level technical education needs. GAINER funds targeted projects to fix these three specific gaps so that students are not held back by basic infrastructure failures.

What does GAINER fund, and how much?

GAINER supports three project types, each with its own funding limit and timeline, as set out in the AICTE scheme document:

For the water component, the scheme funds water-harvesting projects that assure supply even in the dry season. For power, it funds captive solar energy installations, and where solar is not effective, procurement of a generator can be considered. For internet, it funds the initial connection, but the institution must bear the recurring costs thereafter.

Disbursement is in two instalments: an 80% advance of the sanctioned grant first, and the balance as reimbursement on successful completion of the project and submission of the required documents.

Who is eligible for the AICTE GAINER grant?

Institutions that can apply:

• Government and government-aided technical and engineering colleges.
• University departments, including polytechnic institutes, in the North Eastern Region.
• The institute must have been in existence for the last five years.

Who cannot apply:

• Individual students, teachers or citizens cannot apply. GAINER is an institutional infrastructure grant with no personal benefit. Anyone looking for a scholarship or a personal cash benefit is not eligible under this scheme and should look at AICTE's student scholarship schemes instead.
• Private, self-financing institutions are not covered, the grant is for government and government-aided institutes only.
• Institutions outside the North Eastern Region are not eligible, since the scheme is geographically limited to NER campuses.
• Institutes less than five years old do not meet the existence requirement.

How to apply for the GAINER scheme

GAINER has no citizen application; it works through institutional proposals in response to AICTE's call for proposals.

1. Watch for the AICTE call for proposals for the scheme and confirm your institution is government/government-aided, in the NER, and at least five years old.
2. Prepare the project proposal for the relevant component (water, solar power or internet), with the plan and detailed estimates, an abstract of estimates, and a PWD/CPWD rate certificate for construction work.
3. Attach the required certificates — confirmation that rates conform to AICTE norms and the regional cost schedule, and an undertaking from the Principal (or the State Secretary for Technical Education) that any cost above the AICTE grant will be met locally so the work is not delayed for want of funds.
4. Submit the proposal to AICTE. AICTE screens and scrutinises applications, an expert committee evaluates them, and the Council takes the final decision keeping in view the experts' recommendations and fund availability.
5. On approval, AICTE sends the sanction letter and the first instalment (80% advance). For the solar component, implementation tasks are shared between AICTE, the institute, a Solar PSU implementing agency, MNRE and the vendor.
6. Complete and report: submit annual progress reports, a project completion report, and an audited utilisation certificate with statement of accounts before claiming the balance.

Important condition: if the project is not initiated within six months, the institute must refund the entire grant with accrued interest to AICTE with a justification.

Help and contact

• AICTE, New Delhi: aicte.gov.in. The sanctioning authority.
• IIT Guwahati. The implementing agency for the scheme.

GAINER is an institutional scheme administered by AICTE. There is no fee to apply, and no individual benefit is available under it.