Dr. Anshu Kataria, President, Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA) and Chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges, has been conferred with the prestigious ‘Best Leader of Unaided Colleges of India’ award by Cabinet Minister Sh. Sanjeev Arora at the Iconic Leadership Awards held at Radisson Red, Mohali. 

Expressing gratitude, Dr. Kataria thanked the Minister and stated that PUCA has been consistently working for the growth and welfare of unaided colleges in Punjab. He further highlighted that the association is now expanding at the national level with a vision to bring nearly 8,000 technical institutions onto a unified platform.

He added PUCA has already united with Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, with plans to extend across the country to guide youth, strengthen the education ecosystem, and contribute towards making India a global superpower by 2040, in line with the vision of the Prime Minister of India. 

Established in 2015, PUCA has been actively working for the welfare and advancement of unaided colleges across Punjab. The association has taken up several key issues related to policy, regulations, and academics, many of which have been successfully resolved in the interest of institutions and students. It continues to serve as a strong unified platform for addressing concerns and strengthening the education ecosystem. 

Dr. Anshu Kataria has consistently taken up critical issues concerning technical and professional education at the national level. Over the past 4–5 years, he has been approaching the Supreme Court of India, seeking extensions in admission cut-off dates for technical courses, thereby providing relief to lakhs of students and thousands of institutions. 

Born in 1976 in the small town of Sri Muktsar Sahib, he faced significant hardships in his early life and had to discontinue his studies after the 9th standard. Determined to continue, he completed his +1 and +2 through part-time education while working at a chemist shop, followed by his B.Com while working in a relative’s firm. He later pursued his Master’s and Doctorate from Panjab University.