Universities get little money, but sit on them, says recent UGC study
UGC has released only a part of the allocations, but even that is not used.
Hyderabad: Thousands of crores meant for betterment of universities are lying unspent with state universities and the University Grants Commission. The UGC recently released a financial statement listing the grants allocated in the 12th Plan period, 2012-17, to state and central universities, money released and amount utilised. There is a huge gap between these three heads.
Seven universities in TS were sanctioned Rs 95.9 crore, of which Rs 45 crore was released. Of this, Rs 32 crore was utilised. In AP, Rs 121.8 crore was allocated to 10 universities of which Rs 32 crore was utilised.
The figures are not too different at the national level. Of the Rs 2,078.35 crore sanctioned to 159 state universities, only about 43 per cent of the money has been released between 2012-13 and 2015-16. Of the Rs 890 crore, only Rs 338.28 crore, or 38 per cent, has been utilised.
Mr Battu Satyanarayana, president of Osmania University Teachers Association, said state universities have to prepare proposals to spend the funds annually, finish the work in time and pursue the UGC for money.
“This is a continuous process. Due to the lack of enthusiasm of vice-chancellors, shortage of faculty and political interference, fund utilisation is adversely affected,” he said.
In Central universities, the issue is different: They utilise the money but the UGC does not release funds.The UGC released about 46 per cent of the Rs 546 crore sanctioned to the three Central universities in TS: Maulana Azad National Urdu University, University of Hyderabad and English and Foreign Languages University. The universities utilised Rs 230.44 crore, or nearly 93 per cent of the funds released
At the all India level, the UGC has released Rs 5,142.26 crore, or 59 per cent of the Rs 8,721.26 crore allocated in the 12th Plan to Central universities. The Central universities have utilised 79 per cent, or Rs 4,053.45 crore.
An official with the UoH said, “The UGC never releases the entire amount sanctioned in the five-year Plans. Their working is very slow and we have to keep writing to them for funds. Often we manage with our revenues and make up when the UGC releases funds.”