Kakinada: At the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada (JNTUK), gold medals aren’t easy anymore. JNTUK gives gold medals for meritorious students including those from constituent and affiliated engineering colleges, every year. Many of the students are getting benefit due to sponsorship by donors and philanthropists. Initially the university had accepted annual amounts for giving gold medals. But due to higher gold price, sponsors have reduced gradually.
The university had fixed Rs 1 lakh for donors as fixed deposits and the interest was allocated to fund gold medals for meritorious students. But due to decrease in interest rates on fixed deposits at banks and increase in the cost of gold, the university was finding it difficult to give gold medals. According to university officials, minimum four grams of gold is required for medals. Now the university has fixed Rs 2 lakh as deposit amount.
“The sponsors should agree to Rs 2 lakh deposit. Without depositing the amount, the university will not consider it,” said the JNTUK Registrar, Dr. Ch. Saibabu. He also stressed the need for sponsors to come forward to encourage meritorious students in different divisions at both constituent and affiliated engineering colleges. Director, Institute of Science and Technology, JNTUK, Dr. K. Satya Prasad welcomed the move to make fixed deposits compulsory for endowment awards.
According to university sources, many of the students of affiliated engineering college students are competing with constituent college students to get gold medals by scoring the highest marks. The University College of Engineering, Kakinada (UCEK) and Vizianagarm colleges are giving gold medals to every topper in each department. The university is giving gold medals for both constituent and affiliated college students in all branches. Recently, former Union Minister, M M Pallam Raju started a gold medal for ECE toppers every year in memory of his late father, M S Sanjeeva Rao, who was also a former Union Minister.
