Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University

Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University (PRSU), Raipur, established in 1964 and named after the first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Pt. Ravishankar Shukla, is the oldest and largest state university in Chhattisgarh. The university serves as the affiliating university for hundreds of colleges across the state, making it one of the most influential educational institutions in central India.

PRSU offers programmes across Arts, Commerce, Science, Law, Management, Education, Social Science, Engineering, Technology, Computer Science, and Life Sciences. The university's teaching departments offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes, while affiliated colleges across Chhattisgarh offer UG programmes in all major streams. PRSU's academic reach extends to remote tribal districts of Bastar, Surguja, and Korba through distance education and affiliated colleges.

The university is a significant centre for research relevant to Chhattisgarh — areas such as tribal studies, biodiversity of the Bastar region, mineral economics, and regional history are studied in depth. The Department of Anthropology and the Department of History have produced landmark scholarship on Chhattisgarhi culture, tribal livelihoods, and the historical development of the region. PRSU also houses a Centre for Women's Studies and a Centre for Studies in Tribal & Scheduled Castes, reflecting its commitment to equity in education.

The sprawling university campus in Raipur features a large central library, botanical garden, research laboratories, sports complex, and residential hostels. The campus hosts regular academic conferences, literary events, and cultural programmes that celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Chhattisgarh including traditional Panthi and Karma folk music and dance.

Alumni of PRSU include senior state government officers, academics, authors, and social workers who have shaped the post-independence development trajectory of Chhattisgarh. The university continues to be the primary institution for higher education and social mobility for the first-generation learners of this resource-rich but socioeconomically developing state.